Tomorrow And Yesterday
by SunlitSky21
Summary: They say destiny is interwoven like a tapestry. Some say it is possible to change it, some say it is not. If you ask me, what actually matters are the details. A single choice, no matter how small, can have unforeseen circumstances. It may be so small that it may appear as if nothing has changed, for even a little bit; or it may be so large, that it may shake the world. Time Travel
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** The franchise Naruto in any form is not owned by me, but by a rather strange man, who goes by the name of Masashi Kishimoto.

Beta'ed version...

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 _ **Prologue- Memories of Another Day**_

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 _Do you remember the time_  
 _Our tears fell down from the sky_

 _Someday soon when I am gone_  
 _Never think that I will neglect you_

 ** _-Sign by Flow(_** _Naruto Opening 6)_

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The war was over. It had been a long and hard fought victory. However, with victory came sacrifice. Many lives were lost. Thousands of shinobi died. There was one thing that united them, even in death; the headband.

The headband did not say Fire, Earth, Water, Sand or Lightning.

It said _'Shinobi'_ , the ones who _endure_.

The ones who are burdened.

The ones who fight.

The dark night was illuminated by the burning of the white zetsu bodies. There would be no burials for them. A huge fire was lit in which they were being tossed. Even though the war had been won a few hours ago and everyone had woken from the infinite tsukuyomi, there was a feeling of somberness in the air. Many grieved. Some for their siblings, a brother or sister, some for their parents, but the majority of them shed tears for their comrades.

A lone figure stood at the side. His pale, refined features glowed elegantly in the moonlight. Jet black hair with a hairstyle imitating a duckbutt; as a certain someone would've called it framed them. The most distinguishing part were the eyes. Depth less Onyx, which seemed to change to a bloody red frequently and emanated power. This person was none other than Sasuke Uchiha. A man who was known by many names; Traitor, Nuke-nin, Murderer. But it was only one name that mattered to him. _Friend_. A name given to him by a certain idiot.

Seeing the burning bodies, Sasuke felt deeply. The first emotion he could recognize was immense sadness. Sadness that due to a man's hatred, so many people lost their lives. Then came intense shame and guilt. Guilt on being responsible for the deaths of people like these. People who had families, which Sasuke had killed, when he lost himself to hatred. Shame due to the dark deeds he had done. Despite this inner turmoil his facial expression was deceptively calm, controlled.

As he was lost in his thoughts, the black-haired man failed to notice the presence of someone approaching him from behind. He startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Reflexes kicking in, he wildly turned around, ready to strike stopping short when he saw who it was.

The shining blond mop of hair bobbed in response. Sky blue eyes widened and the three whisker birthmarks on his face scrunched with his facial expression. This man was none other than Naruto Uzumaki, the hailed saviour of the shinobi world and titled with a bunch of other names that Sasuke frankly could have cared less about.

There was only one title that mattered to him. Comrade. Friend. Brother. This was the man who had pulled him out of his darkness, had never given up on him.

That fact wasn't relevant to Sasuke right now. He was more puzzled by the expression on his friend's face. The face on which an ever present smile used to be present was strangely somber right now.

Relaxing his combat stance he asked," What, dobe? There must be a pretty good reason for you to come near me with that mopey expression on your face. Spit it out."

Naruto's lips twitched at the blunt, rough way of talking that only Sasuke could do and somehow display his concern at the same time.

Plastering a smile on his face he replied," Who says I am moping, teme? You are one to talk, you broody bastard!"

Sasuke deadpanned "Really?"

The smile faded as quickly as it appeared. Looking into his friend's eyes, he said,"I'm leaving, Sasuke."

Despite being shocked the only thing that escaped him was,"Why?"

Naruto replied with a sad smile," Because it hurts 'ttebayo. It's too much, to see all their faces. All the people who have died."

" So you are going to just run away? Weren't you the one who always said that you will never give up? Are you giving up on your nindo; _now_ _of all times_?"

His sky blue eyes turned stormy and a brittle smile adorned his face," _Especially now..._ People _change_ , Sasuke. Besides, I need some time. Time to heal. After her _murder- no death_."

Sasuke spoke softly"It wasn't your fault you know that, right?."

Seeing no acknowledgement he sighed, "Fine. Just do whatever you want. But what are you going to tell the rest of them?"

Shaking his head with a mischievous grin he responded,"That's why I told you, bastard. Well, see ya! Tell Sakura-chan and the others that I said bye, 'kay?"

Sasuke just rolled his eyes, lips finally moving into a bare semblance of smile at the normal Naruto-like response.

Just as Naruto turned to shunshin out, Sasuke called,"Hey, dobe!"

Cocking his head back, Naruto looked at Sasuke. Before he could ask, Sasuke smiled sincerely," Thank you." It were only two simple words.

But Naruto understood.

Laughing softly to himself Naruto merely moved forward and with a burst of chakra, he vanished.

 _That was the last anyone would see of Uzumaki Naruto for a long_ , ** _long_ _time._**

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 **Author's Note:** So, this was an idea that popped in my mind. I am pretty sure that this has never been done before.

Also, I am an amateur writer so, please bear with me. I hope all of you decide to stick with me. However, let me remind you again, the update schedule will be as inconsistent as fuck.

As always, read review and enjoy.

And I am re-editing this entire thing. I am sorry for the really poor presentation before. I promise that I will do better!

Also, a huge thank you to my elder sister(Real one, I assure you) Samsara Amaranth, for well, essentially re-editing the entire prologue. Please check out her story. She has some words for you.

 _ **Samsara Amaranth:** I beta'ed it nothing more, nothing less! Please bear with my annoying baby brother and stick with him until the end! Ja Ne..._

 _ **SunlitSky21:** Hey! What do you mean by annoying? Come back here, you little...A-and she is gone._

This is SunlitSky21, signing out.


	2. Chapter 1- Friends and Comrades

**Chapter 1- Friends and Comrades**.

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" **Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." -Helen Keller**

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Sasuke did not look forward to announcing the news. He was simply not suitably equipped to deal with the emotions and reactions of the others.

Pushing his uneasiness and thoughts to the back of his mind, he continued on to the place where he had told the Konoha eleven to come. It had been pretty hard to convince them that he was not planning a trap of some sort as many of them were still suspicious. Nevertheless, they agreed to meet him.

He had chosen a spot with quite the irony. It was a place where his dark journey began and ended.

The moon was shining brilliantly and it provided more than enough light for Sasuke to see the path ahead of him. Jumping through the trees at a rapid pace, he finally reached the spot.

The Konoha Eleven, _' Now actually eight' mused Sasuke_ , had already gathered there by the time that he had arrived.

Walking out of the dense trees, Sasuke observed the damage his and Naruto's fight had caused. After a moment of collecting his thoughts, he jumped down.

The Konoha Eight saw him and quickly began to ask questions. However, Sasuke silenced them effectively with a single statement.

"He's gone."

"What do you mean, who is gone?" asked Sakura.

Sasuke replied,"Naruto."

The Konoha Eight were stunned into silence. Naruto Uzumaki, the blonde, cheerful, knucklehead, who never gave up, was gone? Many thought that Sasuke was lying but one look at him quickly proved the opposite.

"Where did he go? And why did he tell you and not the rest of us? Even after we told him, many times, that it wasn't his fault, he still..." cutting herself off, Ino clenched her fists.

"I don't know where he has gone. He just left without saying anything about his destination. And about the second question, the usurotonkachi just came up to me and told me to do it. Before I could knock some sense into his head, he escaped."

"Why _now_ , out of all other times? We have already lost her and Neji. We can't lose him too." said Choji. The normally jovial shinobi looked devastated and sad. All of them did.

Lee exclaimed, "Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go bring back our youthful comrade."

However, before anyone could say anything else, Sakura said softly, "Guys, believe in him."

The eyes of the other Ninjas looked up at her.

Continuing to speak, she said," That guy, you know how he is. He never gives up. He never runs away. Don't worry, the idiot will rebound back from this and come back, as cheerful as ever." She finished with a smile.

The smile was somewhat strained, but even then the mood was a little happier due to it.

Sasuke was not fooled. Being a member of the original team seven, he could see that Sakura was hiding her sorrow at this.

Deciding not to question it, Sasuke turned away.

"Well, that's all that I wanted to say."

And before anyone could say anything, he quickly shunshined out of there.

Sakura looked as if she wanted to go after him, but ultimately did not. She knew that he and Naruto, both, needed time to heal.

Sasuke appeared on a tall tree on the cliff and looking at the bright full moon, thought, "You better come back, Naruto, or I will drag you back to Konoha myself if I have to."

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 **Author's notes: Well, this is the first chapter of the story...**

 **This is SunlitSky21, signing... wait a second!**

 **Aren't I forgetting something?**

 **(Slapping Myself) Argh... how stupid of me to forget the awesome people who have supported me until now. A huge thank you to these, amazing, _amazing_ people:**

 **KassieJean ( Thanks for the sweet review, buddy!)**

 **McNuggetss**

 **Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for favoriting, following and supporting me until now! Please continue to do so!**

 **This is SunlitSky21, signing out.**


	3. Chapter 2- Pain and Companionship

**Chapter 2- Pain and Companionship.**

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 **"We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness." -Albert Schweitzer**

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Naruto was tired. He had been running, without stopping to take even a single break, for the last ten hours. His bones ached after every jump. His chakra pool, normally so enormous, was dangerously close to depletion.

Naruto jumped from a tree branch. However, his tired body gave out and he slipped. Falling, he tucked his body into a hasty roll to lessen the impact and landed hard on the ground.

Wincing, he stood up shakily. He tried to push chakra into his legs to bolster them but they refused to even respond. His legs, his hands, his entire body felt _numb_.

Having finally decided to rest, he dragged himself to a nearby tree and rested his back against the trunk.

Looking up, Naruto saw that the summer night sky was laced with stars, all of them sparkling brilliantly.

He thought," I wonder if mom and dad are up there."

 _And her too..._

Turning his attention to his tenant, he said, "What do ya think, Kurama?"

Kurama, the nine tailed fox, replied offhandedly, "Never really thought about that. It doesn't matter to me, brat. You and your puny human imagination." Saying this, he snorted.

 _What saddens you so, my friend?_

"Yeah, Yeah, Fuzz ball. I am just a puny human. But I managed to whup your butt, didn't I?" teased Naruto playfully.

At this, Kurama growled," What did you say, you brat? Let me remind you that was just one time and you couldn't have done that without your mother. SO, don't go on spouting that crap!"

But Naruto knew that Kurama wasn't really serious. Chuckling softly, he turned his gaze back to the star-laced night sky.

Both of them descended into silence for a little while. An hour passed. Or was it two?

Having had enough of the silence, Kurama said," So, what now, Naruto? You ran away, from all of them. Where are you going to go now?"

At this, Naruto smiled, and looking at the spiral symbol on his jacket, just said, "Guess?"

Kurama smirked," Oh, I can guess alright. But before that you gotta sleep, brat. You are on the verge of collapsing."

"Alright, Alright, I am going to sleep'ttebayo." Grumbled Naruto.

Taking out an oddly shaped Kunai from his bag, the blonde looked at it and thought," Thanks, Dad. Goodnight to you too, mom _._ "

Putting the kunai back, he laid his head on the rough bark and closed his eyes. Soon he was out like a light.

Kurama shifted his giant body inside the cage.

"This isn't like you, Uzumaki Naruto. What happened to that obnoxious, boisterous brat?" pondered Kurama.

The nine-tailed fox knew that his friend was hurting because of her death but before, Naruto had never let someone's death affect him like this. What was about this bond between Naruto and that girl?

 _What was Naruto hiding from him?_

Somewhere in the heavens, a shooting star streaked through the sky.

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 **Author's note: Here is chapter Two. Again, thank you, all of you, so much for the love and support! It means a lot to me!**

 **Please read and review. I would love to hear your opinions and thoughts.**

 **Also, regarding the length of the chapter, I wanted to keep the pacing consistent and not rush things so, I thought that a short chapter would be apt. Plus, I wanted to give the above scene significance.**

 **This is SunlitSky21, signing out.**

 **P.S.- What did you think about the stuff that I wrote in Italics ? Do you want me to write like that i future chapters or drop it? Please tell me in your reviews.**


	4. Chapter 3- Waves of the Whirlpool

**Chapter 3- The Waves of the Whirlpool**

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 **"Don't judge a bo** **ok by its cover. You never know what lies inside."**

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Naruto was running _, again_. By now, it was getting monotonous. The lush green forests of fire country were slowly starting to become the typical forestry found in the water country. However, seeing that he was still at the boundary of the two nations, the changes were not that huge.

Soon, Naruto reached what appeared to be a small hillock.

Jumping on top of it, Naruto cast his eyes out at the landscape from his vantage point on top of the hillock.

In front of him, the port town of Uzunami spread. Uzunami connected the mainland of the Fire country with the islands surrounding it. Also, as water country was nearby, it acted as a hub for trade between the two great nations.

Naruto saw the city bustling and teeming with life. The architecture was diverse and varied. Many houses and buildings were built in the traditional fire country style, with flat roofs and simple exteriors. While others were built in the style of architecture reminiscent of the style of water country with slanted roofs and muted oceanic colours. Smoke arose from the chimneys of the homes. A warm ocean breeze blew. The sky was a clear, cloudless blue and beyond the city, spread the vast ocean. In the distance, one could see tiny shapes, indicating islands.

Seeing the extent of the city, Naruto let out a whistle. "I am gonna have a heck of a time finding my way here."

Jumping down from the hill, Naruto landed in a street full of people. Ignoring the weird looks from the people around him, who had seen him literally fall from the sky, Naruto brushed off imaginary dust from his clothes.

Seeing the houses on the hill side, as well as the sheer drop, and looking back at the people staring at him, Naruto asked Kurama," Oi Kurama, why are these people staring at me?"

Kurama could only face palm (facepaw?) at this.

Naruto started walking. He could not stop his neck from swiveling around. There was so much to see! It was quite different from Konoha. Shops, houses, people, Naruto was bedazzled. The extravagance and opulence of the city clearly demonstrated its prosperity.

On going a little further, Naruto reached the market square. However, something caught his eye. A small kid was quietly trying to steal an apple from a fruit stall. The kid appeared to be quite poor, judging from his tattered clothes.

However, before he could take the apple, the shopkeeper saw him. Catching his hand, he shouted," You little thief! Thought you could take the apple without paying, huh? You are going to get it now."

But before he could make good on his threat, someone threw money on the table of the fruit stall. Looking up, he saw a sixteen, seventeen year old blonde boy standing in front of him with his hand outstretched, indicating that he was the one who had thrown the money.

Naruto said," Here, the money for the apple the brat took. Is that enough?"

The shopkeeper was puzzled why this boy would save a thief, but who was he to complain? Shrugging, he collected the money and went back to selling his fruits.

Naruto turned towards the small boy, who was looking at him with wide eyes.

Now that Naruto had looked more closely at the boy, He could make out the boy's features. A mop of unruly, untidy black sat upon a small face with large hazel eyes ,which currently held confusion and fear inside of them, small nose and lips. The boy's skin, although covered with dirt and grime, was still fair enough to stand out. His tiny frame was covered by a torn and old t-shirt and worn out shorts. The boy appeared to be about nine to ten years old and was barefoot.

Naruto said," Let's move out of this crowd and go somewhere else. Is that okay with you?" The kid seemed to be arguing internally on running away or following the teenager before him. After a second or two, he gave a small nod, finally deciding to follow the older male.

Naruto led the boy to a water fountain, where there was a noticeably lesser amount of people.

Crouching down in order to meet the kid's eyes, he grinned and said," Yo! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. What's yours?"

(Inside the seal, Kurama could only sigh at the blunt and straightforward way of his partner.)

The boy replied in a meek and timid voice, "It's Hotaru."

Now, Naruto was not the sharpest kunai in the box. But even he knew that Hotaru wasn't a boy's name. But then again, who was he to complain? He had been literally named after a ramen condiment.

"Hotaru, eh? Well then, Hotaru, tell me" voice gaining a slightly sharp edge, Naruto continued," Why were you trying to steal food?"

Hotaru looked down at the ground and mumbled out something that Naruto couldn't hear.

Putting a hand to his ear in an exaggerated motion, Naruto said," What was that? I couldn't hear ya, Hotaru. You will have to speak louder than that."

In a voice so small that Naruto could barely hear it, Hotaru said'" I said, I am stealing because we don't have any money to buy food."

At this, something in Naruto's cerulean blue eyes shifted. He could sympathize with the poor kid, as he himself had faced tough times in his childhood. But he had been never pushed to the brink of starvation like Hotaru. The poor kid had it rough.

Pushing the thoughts of his childhood to the back of his mind, Naruto simply asked," Oh and who's 'we'? "

Hotaru was thoroughly puzzled and also, a little aggravated at this strange teenager's curiosity and intrusiveness. But seeing that the blonde before him had saved him from being quite possibly, handed over to the police, Hotaru decided to answer the orange-clad Ninja's question. There was just something about the Ninja before him that made Hotaru trust him.

"Me and my Mother. She is sick and we don't have the money to call a doctor." The small boy gritted out through clenched teeth.

Naruto's eyes softened. But he knew that the kid did not need pity. He had already seen too much of the cruelty of the world.

Hotaru expected the stranger before him to spout 'I am sorry' or some crap like that but was instead surprised when the blonde simply said," Take me to your home."

Before he could question the ninja any further, the tall blonde boy simply flashed a grin and a thumbs up and said," Don't worry. We are gonna get your mother back to a full hundred percent in no time!"

And strangely, Hotaru couldn't help but believe in Uzumaki Naruto.

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 **Author's note: Well, there you go. Chapter 3. Not much to be said about this one.**

 **Please tell me how I did regarding this chapter, in your reviews. Did my pathetic attempt at humor amuse you?**

 **Roses are red, violets are blue, Review this story or I WILL KILL YOU!**

 **Inner: Great job in convincing the readers that you are not a psychopath, Sunlit.**

 **Sunlit: Where did you come from?**

 **Inner: I was always here,...muhahaha**

 **This is SunlitSky21, signing out**


	5. Chapter 4- Hikari

**Chapter 4 - Hikari.**

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 **"A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots."**

 **-Marcus Garvey**

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"Now listen here, Naruto, I will tell you something very important." Hikari said with the utmost seriousness.

Naruto leaned closer.

Hikari said in a grave tone," _SunliSky21 does not own the franchise **Naruto** in any form or media."_

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After what seemed like hours spent following the boy, Naruto finally reached Hotaru's home. It was in one of the poorest sections of the city and the small two story house itself, with its paint peeling and windows cracked, screamed of poverty and disrepair.

Opening the door to his house, Hotaru led Naruto inside. The floorboards creaked with every step Naruto took, and at a few places, the wood seemed to be rotten and had been patched up clumsily with wood boards.

 _"Really, The floorboard is more patches and rotten wood than an actual floor"_ Naruto mused.

Seeing Hotaru climb the rickety staircase, Naruto followed. On reaching the second floor, Naruto could see a dim light coming from one of the rooms. Hotaru dragged open the sliding door and made a motion for Naruto to come inside.

Naruto saw that The room was illuminated only by a small and spluttering the centre of the room, there was a futon, on which a figure was lying.

Going closer, Naruto was able to discern that the person, was in fact a woman. She had a cloth on her forehead and was extremely pale. By the light of the candle, her face looked gaunt.

Whilst Naruto was observing the woman, Hotaru went closer to her and started shaking her gently in order to wake her up.

The woman's eyes opened slowly. Seeing the boy sitting next to her futon, she called out in a croaky and slurred voice, " Is that you, Hotaru?"

The boy seemed to be holding back tears at his mother's condition but as soon as heard his name being called out by her, he immediately plastered a smile upon his face and said in a somewhat shaky but bright tone," Yes, it's me, mom. Look, I brought you an apple! You must be hungry, right?"

Saying this, he offered the woman, whom by now Naruto had clearly understood to be the mother of the boy, the apple which Naruto had paid for earlier.

Ignoring the apple in the boy's hand, the woman made a move to get up and with seemingly great difficulty, made herself sit upright on the futon.

She said," Where were you, Hotaru? and how did you get the money to buy this apple?" Suddenly her eyes widened and her hands flew over her mouth to cover her gasp of shock "Don't tell me, you stole it? What have I told you about doing so, Hotaru?" She continued in a stern voice.

Hotaru replied," Well, you see, mother, I did try to steal it but I was caught." Seeing his mother's expression, he quickly continued, "But, but, then you see, this nice onii-chan over here saved me by paying for it!" Saying this, he pointed to Naruto who was standing quietly on the entry of the room.

Having been noticed, Naruto sheepishly raised a hand in greeting, and said" Hey"

Now that the woman had turned her face towards him, Naruto could see that she had the same hazel eyes as Hotaru. But her hair was completely different. While the colour appeared somewhat faded, there was no denying the redness of it.

The woman tried to bow, but could only succeed in making a shallow imitation of it. She said " You have my sincerest gratitude, kind sir, for helping my child. However, I am afraid that there is nothing which I can offer you as repayment. Please forgive me."

Embarrassedly scratching the back of his head, Naruto said , " Please don't worry about it ! There is no need to say thank you. Really, it's no big deal."

Hotaru exclaimed brightly, nothing like the depressed child Naruto had seen in the maket," See, mom! I told you he was a good person!"

The mother didn't reply but her amused expression said it all. Turning her eyes back toeards the blond, The woman said,"Oh, where are my manners? It is nice to meet you, err..."

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto" The blonde supplied with a grin.

At this, The woman's eyes widened a little bit. The widening was barely noticeable but Naruto, being a shinobi, had noticed it. However, the expression of surprise on the woman's face vanished as soon as it came.

The woman said," It's nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san. My name is Taira Hikari. And as you know," Motioning towards the boy, she said, " This is my son, Hotaru."

Naruto said, " Please don't call me Uzumaki-san. Naruto is fine. I dunno, Uzumaki-san makes me feel kinda old" .He comically scrunched up his face.

Fighting the upward twitch of her lips, she continued, " If you don't mind me asking, Naruto-san, if it isn't payment that you want, then what are you doing here?"

Naruto was about to open his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a loud knock and a harsh voice of a man shouting, " Open up, woman! I know you are in there. Time to cough up this month's 'taxes' !"

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 **Author's notes: Here ya go! Chapter 4.**

 **What do you think? Did any of you notice anything peculiar about Hikari and her conversation with Naruto? Do tell me in your reviews! I would love to hear your theories!**

 **Inner: Please review! Every review counts!**

 **Sunlit: I should probably go visit a psychiatrist, shouldn't I?**

 **This is SunlitSky21, signing out...**


	6. Chapter 5- Problems

_"Come back here, Naruto! You pervert, how dare you use my body and appearance for such a perverted thing. I will castrate you!", shouted a very mad Hikari, throwing kitchen knives and shuriken with ease at Naruto, who was trying to dodge them frantically._

 _"Sorry, Hikari-san", yelped Naruto._

 _Dodging another set of shuriken, Naruto exclaimed "Wait! Before you castrate me, I want to say one thing."_

 _Hikari paused._

 _Naruto said," **SunlitSky21** does not own **Naruto** in any form or media. Okay, Gotta run, bye!"_

 _A blank-faced Hikari was left standing there._

 _To be continued...(Muhahaha)_

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 **Chapter 5- Problems.**

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 **"I am not just a pervert, I am a super pervert! "- Jiraiya**

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Hearing the crass voice, Naruto instantly understood that the intentions of the people at the door were not good.

Smirking, he turned to Hikari and said,"Let me handle this."

* * *

Jiro and Bunta did _not_ expect their day to go like this.

It started pretty normally. They walked around, scaring the peasants of the poorest area of Uzunami and forcing them to cough up the 'taxes'.

" _Taxes, yeah right_." Jiro snorted.

Normally, nobody would pay attention to small, two bit thugs like them. But because of who their boss was, Jiro and Bunta were able to scare the citizens into submission.

Collecting the taxes did not take too much effort, except that one weird old man who had simply closed the door on them when they had threatened him. But eventually, like all the others, he finally gave in. After having _asked(threatened)_ nearly all the residents for taxes, Jiro and Bunta reached the door of the last house in the area.

Knocking loudly, Jiro yelled," Open up! It's time to pay the taxes."

Seeing no response forthcoming, Jiro kicked the door harshly and shouted, " Don't make us wait. I know you are in there!"

Finally, after ten minutes or so, the door opened. And Jiro and Bunta were left open mouthed, staring in amazement.

In front of them, stood a _really_ pretty woman, with long red hair, hazel eyes, porcelain skin and a _curvy_ body.

"Ara, how may I help you gentlemen?" the woman in front of them asked ( _in her beautiful, bell like voice, Bunta noted_ ).

Clearing his throat, Jiro tried to divert his thoughts from going in _that_ particular direction, and said," We are here to collect the taxes of this month. Now, pay up."

The woman in front of them smiled and putting her dainty hand on her cheek, said "Oh, is that so? Please give me a moment."

Saying so, she sultrily looked up at them and moved her hand to the pocket of her _tightly fitting_ pants and sensually ran her fingers across the fabric.

This, coupled with the smoky and seductive look she was giving, was enough to give Jiro and Bunta a nosebleed. A faint niggling thought at the back of his mind warned Jiro that this woman was supposed to be very sick but the thought was quickly ignored in favour of watching the sight in front of him.

Before the lady could pull out her wallet, Jiro and Bunta sensed something moving behind them. But by that time, it was too late.

Both of them felt a horrible pain at _that_ location and looking down, both of them saw a foot lodged in their respective crotches.

Soundlessly, the two of them collapsed, minds fading into blissful, merciful oblivion.

The lady was suddenly enveloped in a puff of smoke and where she had previously stood, a laughing Naruto could now be seen.

Smirking, Naruto high-fived his two shadow clones and dispelled them.

Turning around, he saw a pissed off and blushing Hotaru.

The little boy sputtered,"What the hell, ya perv? How dare you use my mothers body for...for... "Too embarassed to continue, he stopped.

Naruto just shamelessly shrugged and said, "Well, it worked didn't it?Now help me carry these goons and tie them up."

After five minutes of struggling(the goons were heavy) Naruto and Hotaru finally deposited them in the living room. Tying them up securely in rope Naruto had pulled out from sage knows where, Naruto and Hotaru dusted off their hands.

Naruto's expression suddenly turned serious and he looked at Hotaru with a piercing gaze.

"Mind telling me what these crooks were doing at your house, Hotaru?" he said seriously.

Hotaru just said," Its better if you ask mom that question."

Saying so, both of them trudged upstairs once more and entered Hikari's room.

Hikari asked," What happened? I can no longer hear their shouts. Did they leave?"

Hotaru was about to open his mouth but seeing Naruto's glare, _wisely_ decided not to.

Scratching his cheek, Naruto said," I knocked them out."

Hikari was stupefied, if the expression on her face was to be believed.

Before she could say anything, Naruto said,"Hikari-san, who are these crooks? And why were they troubling you ?"

The woman in front of him looked conflicted for a little while.

Finally appearing to have reached a conclusion, Hikari just sighed and said," They are the men working for one of the largest shipping tycoons in the world, Nato, a cruel and despotic man."

Naruto blanched on hearing the name. He had a growing suspicion, that seemed rather absurd to be true.

He asked," Ummm, Hikari-san? Is this Nato in any way related to Gato, the shipping tycoon who terrorized wave country a few years before?"

Hikari said, confirming his suspicions," He is the younger brother of Gato. But how do you know about Gato, Naruto-san ?"

Naruto facepalmed and muttered," This is too weird to be a coincidence."

Hikari asked "I am sorry, I couldn't quite catch that. Could you repeat what you said ?"

Naruto quickly said " Ah, It's nothing. So, tell me more."

Pausing for a little bit, Naruto continued, "You know what? Never mind, I think I know how this occurred. Let me guess, greedy merchant, looking for easy ways to collect money, does so by oppressing poor citizens?"

Hikari was shocked.

"How did you know that?" ,she asked.

Naruto sweat dropped." _Its basically a repeat of the damn Wave incident!_ " he exclaimed in his mind.

 _" **However, that leaves one question unanswered.",**_ came Kurama's gravelly voice from the seal.

 _"Oh, and what is that?" ,_ Naruto questioned.

" ** _The question of how some merchant was able to obtain permission for the collection of taxes in such a big city. Kinda fishy, don't you think ?"_**

 _"Hmm...you are right_." thought Naruto.

Turning towards Hikari, who by now was giving him an odd look, Naruto asked Hikari the question which Kurama had brought up.

Hikati replied," I am not sure but there have been rumors that he and the mayor of Uzunami are really good friends."

But before she could say anything else , a fit of coughs overcame her.

This reminded Naruto of his original purpose. Pushing other thoughts to the back of his mind, Naruto asked Hikari after she had stopped coughing," Hikari-san, We should really get you treated. Are there any doctors nearby?"

Hotaru chimed in," Hey mom, On the way back, I heard one of our neighbours saying that Rinnosuke-jiji is back."

Seeing that Naruto was puzzled, Hikari clarified, "Rinnosuke-san is an old retired Konoha ninja who had settled here. An year ago, he left Uzunami to travel the world. "

Naruto said," So what has that got to do with your sickness then, Hikari-san?"

Hotaru said, " You see, Naruto-niichan, Rinnosuke-jiji is what do ya call it...medicsometing?"

Chuckling, Hikari said," I believe you mean medic-nin. Right, Hotaru?"

Hotaru nodded sheepishly.

Naruto suddenly stood up. He exclaimed," Then what are we waiting for? Let's go bring this geezer here!"

Hikari tried to protest, " There is no really need, Naruto-san. You don't have to do this."

Ignoring her protests, Naruto turned to Hotaru.

"Hotaru, can you tell me which home is the old man's?"

Hotaru, too, got up enthusiastically. He grinned," Better yet, I will show you! Come on!"

Following Hotaru to the door, Naruto said to Hikari," You just rest here, Hikari-san. Hotaru and me will return soon with the old man."

He closed the door.

Hotaru and Naruto exited the house and started walking.

A little time passed. Ultimately,Naruto broke the silence by asking, " Hey Hotaru, I have been meaning to ask you, but where's your dad? Is he out working?"

Hotaru's expression turned sad.

"He died" He said abruptly.

"Oh" Naruto said ,out of words. But inside he was mentally slapping himself. _" Great way to be sensitive, idiot."_

Trying to change the topic, Naruto said," So, Hotaru, tell me more about this Rinnosuke-jiji of yours."

At this Hotaru brightened up a little bit. He said," He is a really nice man. He always used to come to our house and play with me. Mom and Rinnosuke-jij were great friends! He also tells awesome stories."

Continuing in a softer tone, he said,"After dad was...gone, he was always there for mom and me."

Hearing this, Naruto felt really happy that there was someone like this kind man in the little boy's life, who had already suffered so much.

Hotaru abruptly stopped and said ," We are here!"

Naruto was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even see the door in front of him and would have almost smacked straight into it, if not for his reflexes.

Hotaru knocked at the door." Open up, jiji. It's me, Hotaru!"

A long time passed. Hotaru had already knocked thrice by now and Naruto's patience was running out. Just as Naruto was about to break down the door, it swung open and both of them were greeted by the sight of a man wearing a green kimono, standing in front of them.

The man appeared to be in his seventies, which was quite old for a ninja. He had long, flowing white hair and a white mustache. His wrinkled face was set in a kind smile. His black eyes twinkled warmly.

The old man exclaimed, looking down at Hotaru," Why, if it isn't Hotaru! Its been a long time since I saw you, brat. You've grown."

At this, Hotaru cutely puffed out his cheeks, and pouted," I am not a brat, ya senile old man!"

Laughing merrily, the old man asked, " So what can I do for you, my boy? I just got back and these old bones of mine are weary. I can't do much, I am afraid."

The old man turned his gaze from Hotaru to Naruto." And who might you be, youngster? What are you doing here with little Hotaru?"

Naruto opened his mouth to reply but Hotaru beat him to it. The little boy said," Old man, you are a medic-nin, right? You gotta help my mom, she is sick."

His voice wavering, Hotaru added," Please."

The old man was shocked for a moment. But he quickly composed himself and turned towards Hotaru with a expression that Naruto had seen too many times on Sakura and Tsunade's face.

He seriously said, " Then we mustn't waste time. You still live in the same house, right, Hotaru?"

Hotaru nodded.

Without a further word, the old man collected his sandals, put them on and walked out of the house.

Closing the door behind him, Rinnosuke said," Let's go."

The trio reached Hotaru's house soon. Entering inside, Hotaru said, " She is upstairs."

Rinnosuke just nodded and moving swiftly, trudged up the stairs, leaving the blonde and the raven, who were dumbstruck by the change in the man, struggling to follow.

Rinnosuke entered the dimly lit room and gazed at Hikari, who was still awake.

" Rinnosuke-jii-san.", whispered Hikari, wide-eyed.

"Hello, Hikari-chan. Long time no see, huh ?", said the old man, smiling gently.

By the time Naruto and Hotaru had entered the room, Rinnosuke had already started examining Hikari, brow furrowed in concentration, and hands glowing with green chakra.

After what felt like an eternity, Rinnosuke stopped and sighed.

Leaning back, he said, "Hikari is suffering from a rare kind of chakra depletion. "

Hearing this, Naruto was puzzled. Before the old man could continue, Naruto interrupted," Hey old man, doesn't chakra depletion happen only in shinobi?"

Rinnosuke shot a glare at Naruto and said," Don't interrupt when I am speaking brat. I don't want to repeat myself. "

Naruto stiffened and squeaked out," Hai!"

 _"Man, is this old man bipolar or what?"_ Naruto lamented to Kurama.

Kurama snarkily remarked," _I am surprised that a knucklehead like you knows what bipolar means."_

Naruto said angrily in his mind," _What was that, ya damn fox?"_

Smirking, Kurama just said , _"Pay attention. the old man is speaking again."_

" _Alright, alright_ " grumbled Naruto and turned his attention back to the old man.

Rinnosuke coughed into his fist and continued, "As I was saying, Hikari is suffering from a rare kind of chakra depletion. She had somewhat larger chakra reserves as compared to a normal civilian to begin with, so her body is accustomed to a higher amount of chakra for functioning. However, with age, chakra reserves decrease. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem as the body naturally adjusts itself to the lesser amount of chakra but Hikari's chakra system, being used to higher amounts of chakra, is not capable of changing itself as quickly as compared to other people."

Seeing Naruto and Hotaru's blank faces, the retired medic nin sighed once more and said," Alright, listen. Tell me what happens if I fill a balloon with air? It grows bigger, right?"

Seeing Naruto and Hotaru nod, he continued," So, what happens if I release some of the air in the balloon slowly? "

Naruto replied," It shrinks slowly, I guess?"

Rinnosuke said in affirmation" Yes, it shrinks slowly. The shape changes gradually. But what if I let all the air out at once?"

This time, Hotaru replied," It shrinks immediately!"

The old man nodded, pleased that they were starting to get it." Yes, it shrinks immediately. Now, a similar thing is happening to your mother's chakra network. However, in this case, the balloon is not able to change its shape with the exit of air. A large amount of air, or chakra is reduced but the chakra system or the balloon is still big. So, this is causing a type of chakra exhaustion, where the system capacity is large but the actual amount of chakra is small."

Having finally understood, Naruto asked," So is it curable, old man?"

Rinnosuke replied," Fortunately, it is. There is a certain herb which helps the body to adjust its chakra system. But the herb is rare and is found in only certain parts of Water country."

Hikari, who was silent throughout this conversation, finally decided to speak and said," So, nothing can be done after all, can it? Rinnosuke-jiisan, if left untreated, will this disease cause death?"

Rinnosuke said nothing, but his grave expression gave Hikari the answer.

Smiling sadly, Hikari said, " Then could I please ask one last thing of you?"

Rinnosuke nodded.

"Take care of Hotaru for me after I am gone. Please." Hikari said in a sad tone.

Whilst this conversation occurred, Naruto was having an internal conversation with the nine tailed fox sealed inside him.

 _"There has got to be another way, Kurama! We have to do something!",_ exclaimed Naruto.

Kurama replied, _ **" Oh and what do you propose we do?"**_

 _"I don't know, but there must be something which we can do! We can't just sit here, doing nothing!"_ Naruto shouted, frustrated beyond belief.

Suddenly Kurama said, _ **" Wait, didn't the woman say that the douchebag boss of the thugs you knocked out before was a shipping merchant? What if he has a shipment of that herb?"**_

 _"But didn't the old man say that the herb was rare?"_ asked Naruto.

Kurama snapped, ** _" I heard what the old man said! There must be something else which the herb is useful for. Ask him!"_**

Turning his attention back to the trio in front of him, Naruto asked Rinnosuke," Old man, is the herb used for anything else besides treating diseases?

To this, the old man replied," The herb is also used for making a special kind of tea, which is said to be extremely delicious. But seeing the exorbitant price, who in their right minds would use it for such a purpose?"

A sudden thought emerged in Naruto's head.

 _"Kurama,"_ Naruto said," _Are you thinking what I am thinking?"_

Kurama feigned an expression of surprise. _**"You actually use your brain to think now?"**_

Ignoring the jibe, Naruto continued, _" The boss of the two thugs is a shipping merchant. So, he must be rich. Also, for him, shipping and transporting the herb would be easy. "_

" _ **Ah, I see! So, there is a chance that those baboons from earlier might know something."**_ smirked Kurama.

A devilish grin, evil enough to match Kurama's, grew on Naruto's face.

 _"Kurama, tell me, what do you think about having some 'visitors'?"_

* * *

 **Author's note: And here we go, chapter 5.**

 **This is the longest chapter that I have ever written and now, I have a newfound respect for the writers who are able to write seven to eight thousand words long chapters.**

 **This chapter is pretty light hearted as compared to other chapters. I thought that the story had been getting a little dark, so I tried to liven it up a little bit.**

 **So, what do you think? How was it?**

 **Before I go, I would like to give a huge thank you to all those who have supported me up to now. Thanks a lot, guys. Couldn't have done this chapter without you.**

 **Also, a huge thank you to the amazing KassieJean for her sound advice and amazing patience for being able to put up with my endless questions.**

 **This is SunliSky21, signing out...**


	7. Chapter 6- Interrogation

**_"Spill, now" ordered Naruto._**

 ** _Jiro groaned and said, "SunlitSky21 does not own Naruto in any form or media."_**

 ** _Naruto grinned menacingly and cracked his knuckles. " That's how we are gonna play it, aren't we?"_**

 ** _Jiro's screams were heard throughout Uzunami._**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 - Interrogation.**

* * *

 **"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."**

* * *

Naruto told Rinnosuke," I have an idea. Follow me."

This caused the old man to raise a brow but he nevertheless complied.

Trudging downstairs, Naruto entered the room in which he and Hotaru had deposited the thugs earlier, with Rinnosuke right behind him.

Naruto scratched his head." How should I wake them up, Kurama?"

To this, Kurama replied, " **_I don't know. Why don't you just yell in their ears. You are after all, quite good at that."_**

" _Yeah, that's a good idea... Wait, what do you mean by me being good at yelling, ya damn fox!_ " Naruto exclaimed, tired of kKurama and his snark.

Despite this, Naruto did as Kurama had said. Going closer to the goons, Naruto sucked in a large amount of air and yelled,"Wake up!"

Jiro and Bunta woke up with a start. On waking up, they were greeted with a face full of Naruto. Blanching, they tried to move but found themselves unable to, due to the rope tied tied around them.

Naeuto continued as if he hadn't yelled moments ago," I have a few questions for you. Give me the answers and I will let you go."

Jiro said, " Oh yeah? And what happens if we don't ?"

At this, Naruto smirked, "I was hoping for you to say that."

Naruto closed his eyes.

 _"You ready, Kurama?"_

Kurama smirked," _ **This will be fun."**_

Naruto drew upon Kurama's chakra, causing his eyes to become red.

The thugs nearly pissed themselves at seeing those demonic eyes. Naruto grabbed Jiro's head and forced him to look in his eyes.

Jiro blinked and suddenly he was standing in a damp cage. Feeling something behind him, he turned around and the sight of A huge nine tailed fox greeted him.

The fox said in a menacing tone, " ** _Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Which one do you prefer?"_**

Jiro, having never faced the humongous killing intent of the kyuubi was understandably terrified.

Seeing the look of silent terror on his face, Kurama nodded in satisfaction.

Jiro blinked and suddenly he was back in the real world. In front of him, stood Naruto, his eyes back to their original azure colour.

Naruto smiled and said, "Ready to spill now?"

Jiro nodded frantically and replied, "Yes, yes I will tell you whatever you want to know. Just please don't do that, ever again!"

Naruto motioned for Rinnosuke to speak.

In a low voice, the old man asked, " Your boss, does he like to indulge himself? Does he like luxurious things?"

The thugs face was blank." What the heck are ya talking about, geezer? I don't understand."

Rinnosuke sighed, tired of simplifying things for the _n_ th time.

He continued, "Your boss, does he like to buy expensive and seemingly useless things?"

At this, Jiro's face brightened.

"Why didn't ya say it like that!" He exclaimed.

The thug said, continuing," Yeah, the boss does like buying costly things. Why, the other day, he bought a large shipment of some strange rare herb!"

 _"Bingo"_ thought Naruto.

Rinnosuke leaned forward and asked, "Well then, what can you tell me about this herb that he bought? Surely, you must remember something."

The thug appeared to be deep in thought for a moment, his brow furrowed, but he did not say anything.

Naruto was losing his patience. _Big Time._ Just as he was about to grab the man's collar and shake him till he remembered, Jiro exclaimed, "Ah! I remember now!"

"What? "Rinnosuke asked urgently.

"The boss's bodyguard was saying something about the herb being used to make tea or some thing like that."

Rinnosuke and Naruto exchanged glances.

Rinnosuke then said," Can you tell me where this shipment is currently located?"

Jiro shrugged and said, "Sure, most of the shipments are brought to the warehouse of the Nato company in the southern sector of Uzunami."

But then he smirked, and said " Even if ya do manage to reach there, you will never be able to steal it!"

"And why is that?" asked Naruto.

The thug smugly said," The warehouse is guarded by boss's personal bodyguard, a very dangerous missing nin."

Naruto snorted.

" _Piece of cake for us, right, Kurama_?" asked Naruto in his mind.

But, to his surprise, instead of agreeing, Kurama admonished him and said," _**Fool, Do not get arrogant."**_

Naruto quietened but didn't say anything. Just as Kurama was about to open his mouth to say something further, Naruto said, sighing ," _You are right. I am sorry, kay?"_

Kurama replied," _ **Alright, alright now get back to the conversation."**_

Naruto nodded and focusing on the thug again, asked," Who is this missing nin?"

Jiro replied," Tsuki of the eternal winter. Boss had to pay a shit load of cash to hire her."

Hearing this, the old man beside Naruto blanched.

Naruto asked," Do you know something about this ninja, old man?"

Rinnosuke replied in a grave voice," Yes. During my travels, I have heard of her might. Listed in the bingo books as an A rank missing nin from the mist, and the wielder of the Hyoton bloodline. The last, in fact."

Narutos eyes widened. _"The nin has the same bloodline as Haku!"_ he thought.

Kurama said , ** _"_ _Then we have to be wary. You can't use my chakra too much , in order to remain inconspicuous . Haku was a troublesome opponent , even at his young age."_**

Naruto gave a mental nod of assertion to Kurama.

Rinnosuke said something, causing Naruto to snap back to the real world.

"Hmm.. You said something?"Naruto asked absent-mindedly.

(somewhere, Kakashi sneezed.)

The old man snapped," Pay attention, brat!"

Clearing his throat, he continued,"As I was saying, We should plan what to do next. I can't do much, I am afraid. I haven't been in combat for a long while."

To this, Naruto just grinned and said confidently," Leave the fighting to me, jiji!"

"I don't think i should do that. You look like you couldn't even hurt a five year old." deadpanned Rinnosuke.

Naruto face vaulted, grin vanishing. Inside, Kurama was howling with laughter.

Naruto got up quickly and shouted, shaking his fists," What was that, ya damn geezer! I may not look like it but I am a shinobi too!"

"Really? "the old man asked sarcastically.

"Really!" shouted Naruto. "Haven't you heard of me? I am the great Uzumaki Naruto!", striking a heroic pose, he continued "The great hero of Konoha!"

Kurama face pawed. _**"** **So much for remaining inconspicuous."**_

The old man plugged his pinkie in his ear, cleaning it. Nonchalantly, he said," Nope, never heard of you. Although, I do admit that the intimidation trick was good."

Naruto face vaulted for the second time.

Shaking with anger, he shouted," What did ya say, jiji? Dont make me kick your ass!"

Rinnosuke smirked and said smugly," Bring it on, youngster. You are a hundred years to early to beat me!"

Sparks flew. The two men were about to butt heads, when they heard someone clear his throat.

"What?!"They snapped, turning their faces towards the bound thugs.

Bunta, who had been quiet up till now, said," If ya two are done fighting, could you untie us? Also, while you are at it, bring me something to eat, I am hungry."

That was the wrong thing to say.

"Oh, you want something to eat? "asked Naruto with a smile oddly reminiscent of a certain pale skinned former root agent, clenching his fist.

Rinnosuke continued, pulling back his fist," Then eat this!"

The two thugs, even poor Jiro, were out like a light when the fists struck.

* * *

 **Author's note: And done.**

 **Poor Jiro and Bunta. Did anybody understand the relation between the quote at the starting and the context of the chapter?**

 **Things are starting to pick up. Next Chapter, there will be a fight scene.**

 **My first, in fact.**

 **Sorry for such a delayed update.**

 **Please tell me what you thought of this chapter.**

 **This is SunlitSky21, Signing out..**

Shameless advertising: Please check out my other stories too...

No, I am not ashamed (insert shit-eating grin here).


	8. Chapter 7- Infiltration

_Naruto had successfully infiltrated the warehouse._

 _He slipped inside it through the window, but the sight before him caused him to gawk._

 _On a huge, rainbow coloured banner which was hanging from the roof, were the words:_

 _" **SunlitSky21 does not own Naruto in any form or media**."_

 _Naruto said to Kurama,with a deadpan expression, "Let's go home ,Kurama. Mission failed."_

 _Kurama nodded sagely. The power of the fourth wall breaks were supreme, after all._

 _And now, the real chapter..._.

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – Infiltration**

* * *

 **"Even the walls have ears, don't you know?"**

* * *

Night had fallen in Uzunami. The citizens were slumbering away in their homes peacefully, with naught a care in the world. The residents of the night, however, were awake.

Guards, shinobi, mercenaries. All of them going about their usual business, without having an inkling of what was going to happen.

The southern sector of the city was just adjacent to the ocean shoreline. The sector was a hub for the shipping industry, abundant with warehouses and dockyards.

In the cover of the night, two figures stealthily slipped through the rooftops of one building to another. One of them had hair as yellow as sunshine while the other had white tresses of hair that gleamed in the moonlight.

The two figures moved quickly and thus, reached the largest warehouse in the area in no time.

The light of the half moon finally illuminated their faces, causing the identities of the two figures to become apparent. The two humans were none other than Naruto and Rinnosuke .

Arriving on the roof top of a warehouse near to the large warehouse, Rinnosuke and Naruto stood still, observing.

The front of the warehouse was guarded by four mercenaries. Nothing too difficult for a shinobi, but Rinnosuke preferred not to take the risk. Hence, the roof hopping and stealth.

Rinnosuke panted out," Damn, Not even a little roof hopping and I am already this tired. Old age is a curse, isn't it?"

Naruto replied," Come on, suck it up geezer. You are not that tired now, are ya?"

Rinnosuke shrugged and resumed speaking," Now then,do you remember the plan?"

Naruto stilled for a moment, but then nervously laughed and said,"Obviously. Yes, I do."

Rinnosuke was not convinced, judging from the deadpan expression on his face.

He sighed." Why do I even bother?". Rinnosuke knew that the lad in front of him was not dumb, in fact he was quite sharp. But even then, his attention span left something to be desired.

Rinnosuke said," Alright,listen. The plan is simple. I stand as lookout for any reinforcements. And as a last resort backup. You are going to infiltrate the warehouse through that window."

Pointing towards a window high up the wall, Rinnosuke continued," After getting through, You will start searching."

Naruto whined," But the warehouse is so huge! I will never find it!"

Rinnosuke snapped,"I was getting to that! Right," Taking a deep breath, he continued," You will start searching but seeing as the warehouse is too big, it will not be possible for a single person. " After this, with a twinkle in his eye, Rinnosuke added," But you are not one person now are you?"

Naruto was shocked. He had not even shown the man his shadow clone jutsu and even then, he knew about it.

Deciding to question the man about this later, Naruto nodded and said," So, basically, I make a bunch of clones and scour through the warehouse?"

Rinnosuke said," No, even that won't do. The herb could be in any box. However, there must be a office inside the warehouse. There might be a chance that the records are there. But the door will definitely be locked."

Naruto grinned and said," Not a problem."

Rinnosuke continued,"Good. Try to search for anything that might seem important to you. Papers, files and all the other things in the office. It was a good thing that we err.. _asked_ Jiro about the layout of the warehouse."

" Agreed. Man, but the guy's skull sure is hard. Even after getting knocked out twice, he was still fine! Well, I am not so sure now.." Naruto said.

"Why? Just because we knocked him out thrice? Don't worry." Rinnosuke chuckled.

Demeanor becoming serious once again, Rinnosuke said," Naruto, I am leaving the fight to you. This would probably be an A ranked mission. That's why, do your best. If you do this right, nobody will even notice that something is missing"

Naruto smiled and said," You don't need to tell me twice. " Smacking his fist into his palm, Naruto grinned ferally," Alright, let's get to work."

Naruto jumped. The chakra fueled leap propelled him straight to the wall of the warehouse of the Nato shipping company. Sticking to the wall with chakra, Naruto started walking upwards. Reaching the window, the shinobi silently broke the glass. A shattering noise was produced, but due to the size of the warehouse, it went unnoticed. The blonde slipped inside the window quietly.

Having successfully entered the warehouse, Naruto clung to the walls in order to get a better vantage point. The warehouse was massive, lit by several light bulbs. Hundreds of boxes of various shapes and sizes were stacked upon one another. Naruto let out a whistle, " _Damn, Old man Rinnosuke was right. It would have taken me the entire day to search each and every one of the boxes, even with my clones."_

Kurama said, _**"Quit wasting time. You have got work to do."**_

Naruto gave a mental nod. Walking upwards to the roof, Naruto proceeded to hang upside down from it, coating his feet with chakra to stay attached to the roof. He started moving towards the entrance of the warehouse. According to Jiro, the office was near the huge doors of the entrance.

As Naruto approached, he was able to make out a staircase near the wall, right next to the position of the guards. Slowly and quietly, so as not to be spotted, Naruto moved past the guards, and still walking on the roof, managed to get above the door of the room to which the staircase was connected. Dropping down, he stood in front of the door, gazing down at the guards below him, resting his hands on the railing.

Turning around, he tried to open the door but found that it was locked.

 _"Of course, it's locked."_ Sighing , Naruto crouched down and took a lock pick out of his weapons pouch.

Due to being a prankster in his childhood, Naruto had quickly recognized the value of lock picking, which helped to enter areas which one was not supposed to. Besides, it had been one of the few things taught at the academy that Naruto had actually taken interest in. A few clicks later, the door was open.

 _ **"Wow, didn't know that you had it in you to be subtle brat."**_ , Remarked Kurama.

Naruto just said, _"Shut it, Kurama."_

Entering the office, Naruto closed the door behind him.

Naruto said, _"Hang on, I wanna try out something."_

Concentrating chakra to his left hand's fingers, Naruto focused. Soon, his fingers started glowing with his potent chakra, causing the room to be illuminated.

 _ **"Huh, neat."** _ said Kurama.

Naruto smiled and said, _"Isn't it? I just kinda figured that if the rasengan glows blue, because of the chakra in it, my fingers should do the same thing. That, or they would probably be blown to bits."_

Naruto laughed.

Kurama sweatdropped. **_"That is not something to laugh at, brat."_**

Naruto shrugged, and looked around. The room contained a desk, behind which there was a very cushiony chair. The left side of the room was occupied by a large shelf, containing a wide assortment of things such as books and files. Making the hand seal for his trademark justu, Naruto whispered," Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Ten clones popped into existence with a puff of smoke.

"Alright, gang, you know what we have to do. Let's get to work!", said Naruto.

He and his clones started ransacking the office, thoroughly. Not a single nook or cranny was let unsearched.

After fifteen minute, a clone said victoriously, "I have got it! See, these are last month's records."

Pleased, Naruto took the file from the clone's hands and then dispelled them. By this time, the office looked as if a hurricane had passed through it.

Paying no heed to the chaos that he had caused, Naruto started reading. His eyes searched and searched. Finally, Naruto threw the file away in frustration.

He growled, _"I hate reading, god damn it!"_

 ** _"Quit it with the theatrics, brat, we ain't got much time,"_** said Kurama exasperatedly.

Naruto sighed in resignation, but then started reading the file once again. After a few moments, his eyes lightened in comprehension.

Pleased with his victory, Naruto said to Kurama, _" Look, here. It's written here that on the 15th of this month, a shipment of the Jascus herb was brought."_

Kurama asked, _ **"Are you sure that's the herb we are looking for?"**_

Naruto said, _"I am sure cause there ain't any other herbs written here. Okay now, lets see, where it is kept."_

Naruto traced his finger down to the line where 'Jascus herb' was written in messy handwriting, and he turned his gaze to the column next to it.

 _"Hmmm.. It says D-2-2 here. Think it might be the area or something like that of the sector?",_ asked Naruto.

Kurama replied, _**"Seems like it. Come on, start searching, We haven't got all night."**_

Naruto nodded. Closing the file, he placed it back on the shelf, ignoring the others strewn on the floor. Exiting the office, Naruto turned around and quickly jumped on the roof once more. He was about to start walking, when a sudden thought made him freeze in his tracks.

Smirking, he told Kurama, _"Hey, Kurama, I have got an idea."_

Kurama asked warily, _**"What?"** _ Naruto's plans usually turned out well (somewhat), but their execution left something to be desired.

Motioning towards the guards below him, Naruto said, _"Instead of roaming this maze of a warehouse, how about we ask our dear friends below directly?"_

A matching smirk grew on Kurama's face. He said, ** _"Why not? I am sure you won't have any trouble with them. Just be quick about it."_**

Naruto grinned and stopped the flow of chakra to his feet, causing him to fall.

In order to prevent falling headfirst, Naruto quickly flipped in mid air and righted himself.

The fall was merely for a second or two. Naruto landed on one of the thugs, _hard_ , instantly knocking him out. The other three guards were frozen with shock for a moment and Naruto capitalized on this, taking out two more guards instantly with two kunai to the temple. Turning towards the last guard, Naruto grinned and said, "Hey there, mind answering a few questions of mine?"

The guard charged. Naruto sidestepped, and let the guard rush past him. Turning around in the blink of an eye, Naruto leaped on the g2uard, sending him crashing to the ground.

Sitting on top of the now scared guard, Naruto asked," Still wanna continue?"

The guard gulped. Naruto then said,"Tell me, you are a regular guard over here, aren't ya?"

The man nodded, prompting Naruto to ask," Then can you show me where D-2-2 is? I am kinda lost." He sheepishly scratched his head.

But before the guard could respond, Naruto had suddenly pinned a kunai to the man's said menacingly," And don't even think about lying or fooling me, got it?" The guard nearly pissed himself and started nodding rapidly.

Inside the seal, Kurama was shocked. This was the first time he had seen Naruto speak in such a menacing way. And the method by which he had knocked the three ninjas out, was quick, and brutal, to say the least.

 _ **"Did war really change you that much, Naruto?"**_ Kurama thought.

Unaware of the thoughts of his tenant, Naruto got up and then offered a hand to the downed man below him. The guard warily accepted it and pulled himself up.

Demeanor doing a complete one-eighty, Naruto grinned cheerfully and said, "Well, go on then! Lead the way."

* * *

 **A little while later**

* * *

The man stopped in front of a towering heap of crates, and said in a shaky voice," This here is D-2. The box number you are looking for is 2, right? So it must be up there." Saying so, he pointed towards the top of the towering pile.

Naruto said cheerily,"Thanks!" and then proceeded to walk straight up the tower of boxes, causing the man to gawk. Shinobi after all, were rare in Uzunami and apart from the blonde in front of him, He had seen only one another shinobi.

Naruto quickly reached the top of the huge stack. Bending in midair while still being attached to the tower through chakra, Naruto scanned the numbers on the boxes.

With a cry of "aha!", Naruto pulled out a rather small sized box, roughly the length of his forearm.

Naruto was surprised at the size of the box. He asked Kurama, _"Didn't the goon say that it was a large shipment?"_

Kurama shrugged, indicating his ignorance.

And this was when, naturally, things went to hell in a hand basket.

Sensing something behind him, Naruto quickly jumped in the air, with the box in his hands.

His senses had been right. The place where Naruto had stood upon moments ago now had a dozen kunai sticking out of it.

Dropping to the floor, Naruto slowly stood up straight, checking the box for damage.

An emotionless and cold voice rang out," You really should be more aware of your surroundings, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto looked up.

In front of him, stood a very pretty girl. The girl seemed to be about the same age as Naruto. With icy blue eyes, radiant silver coloured hair, pale skin and a white battle kimono, the girl in front of him struck an imposing sight.

Before him stood Tsuki of the eternal winter, A-ranked missing-nin and the last hyoton wielder.

Naruto said with a nervous grin," Ummm…Hi?"

* * *

 **Author's note: And done!**

 **Told ya, there was a fight scene coming. Though it was quite short.**

 **Please tel me what you thought!**

 **Also, to those who think that NAruto is suddenly all bad-ass and OP, to you I will say: think. This story is set after the Fourth Shinobi War. so Naruto will be powerful( for now at least...kukuku..)**

 **Also, whatever you might say about Naruto, the guy has street smarts. The several battles in the manga proved it.**

 **Also, about the glowing finger thing, I think that anyone could figure it out. It's not that hard. After all, when ninjas focus chakra, their bodies obtain an aura, right? Naruto has already mastered Rasengan with one hand, so I don't think that it is too much of a stretch.**

 **Also, the Naruto in my story will be...let's say 40% OOC.**

 **I hope I answered some of your queries.**

 **Hopefully, the Uzunami arc will be finished in about two chapters at the max.**

 **As always, please Read, Review and enjoy.**

 **This is SunlitSky21, signing out...**


	9. Chapter 8- Stunning Revelation

_The battle was intense._

 _Tsuki pointed a senbon at Naruto and said seriously," SunlitSky21 does not own Naruto in any form or media."_

 _Naruto said seriously, "I agree."_

 **Chapter 8-Stunning Revelation.**

* * *

 **"Most battles are usually fought for a pointless reason."**

* * *

Th white haired woman was not amused by Naruto's greeting.

In a cold voice she said, " Hand over the box and I will let you live."

 _"Huh, So, it is gonna be that kind of fight."_, thought Naruto.

Naruto said," Sorry, can't do that." Grinning obnoxiously, he continued," You see, it's for a friend of mine."

Tsuki, as expected did not even twitch. With the same coolness and neutral expression, she said, "I see... Well then, I will have to pry it from your corpse."

Naruto sweat dropped. _"Boy, she doesn't sugar coat things, does she?"_

 _ **"Dodge, you idiot!"**_ roared Kurama.

Without wasting a split second, Naruto jumped. It was a good thing too, as his previous location was now covered with senbons made of ice.

Landing on the ground, Naruto took up a fighting stance.

A beat.

Tsuki rushed forward, graceful and deadly, and Naruto rushed forward to meet her head on. A fierce Taijutsu battle ensued. Punches were ducked and countered, Pressure points were jabbed, kicks were ducked and blocked. Trying to disturb the balance of the missing-nin, Naruto attempted to sweep her off her legs by a roundhouse kick.

Tsuki jumped in the air. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Naruto threw a bunch of kunai and shuriken at her, which she dodged by bending her body through _unnatural_ angles.

All of this took place in a second or two.

The guard, who was quaking with fear and awe, stood frozen. Naruto shouted," Idiot, run! You are gonna get caught up in our attacks!"

The guard hastened to obey. Out of the corner of his eyes, Naruto noticed that Tsuki had done nothing to stop him from escaping.

 _"Well, what do you know, she is human."_ , Naruto thought.

A few ice senbons successfully snapped him out of his thoughts. Naruto dodged again.

 _"Must do something. With the box in my hands, I can't fight properly."_

Naruto threw the box up in the air. Tsuki moved to catch it, but before she could do so, someone tackled her, sending both of them flying away.

With a quick stab from a senbon, the assailant disappeared in a poof of smoke.

 _"Shadow clones"_ thought Tsuki, looking up.

Two Narutos were standing in front of her, cracking their knuckles. Tsuki sensed something moving in her peripheral vision and quickly turned around to see a shadow clone escaping with the box in his hands. Quickly, she formed a senbon and tried to throw it at the clone.

 _Tried_ being the word here. Unfortunately, she was forced to dodge when she heard a shout of " _Rasengan!_ " and a blue ball of chakra coming towards her in the hands of one of the clones.

Tsuki looked at Naruto warily, and thought, _" So, the rumours were true. He knows the Yondaime's jutsu."_

The clones dispelled, having exhausted their chakra. The clone with the box in his hands was nowhere to be found, having escaped successfully.

Naruto didn't like the expression on his opponent's face. Something shifted.

The fight kicked into high gear suddenly.

Quickly making handsigns, Tsuki said, _" Hyoton: Ice Dragon Jutsu!"_

Naruto scrambled to move out of the way of the icy figure of destruction. However, The dragon barreled into the boxes behind him, causing the entire heap to fall.

 _"Shit, she was aiming for the boxes behind me from the start!"_ Thought Naruto.

Seeing as there was no time to jump, Naruto quickly made a _Oodama Rasengan_ in his hands. The entire tower crashed upon Naruto. The _Rasengan_ drilled into the falling crates, effectively shielding the blond.

Tsuki stood still, senses at high alert. She did not believe for a second that the opponent was defeated. Her belief was proven true, when two shadow clones descended from above, holding a huge _Rasengan_ in their combined hands.

When the smoke from the attack cleared, a figure could be seen dusting his pants off.

 _"Whew, did that take care of her?"_ Thought Naruto.

A senbon to his neck proved otherwise. Tsuki whispered, "Give up now. You can't win. I don't want to kill you but make no mistake, I will do it if the situation calls for it."

The blonde in front of Tsuki disappeared in a puff of smoke. _"Kawarimi!" t_ hought Tsuki. Whirling around, she was greeted with a kunai to her face.

Naruto sighed, "Is it over now?"

 ** _"Wow, brat, I am surprised that you didn't bring down the whole building."_** remarked Kurama.

 _"Yeah, Yeah"_ Naruto thought.

Sighing, Naruto said,"Damn it, I can't kill you. Why are all of you Hyoton users so kind?" Removing the kunai, Naruto rubbed his eye wearily with a hand and said," Even that Haku..."

Suddenly, the temperature of the entire area fell by twenty degrees. Frost coated the floor. Naruto quickly jumped back, sensing the danger. In front of him, Tsuki stood with her chakra flaring.

Making handsigns, she said," What did you say?"

Her eyes flashing angrily, she continued," How do you know Haku-nee?"

Before Naruto could think about why the girl had referred to Haku as her sister, the girl completed the series of handsigns.

 _"Hyoton: Ice Blizzard Jutsu"_ whispered Tsuki

The warehouse chilled even further. Strong winds began to blow, and soon, the entire area was covered in what could only be described as a snowstorm.

Snowstorm naturally meant zero visibility.

Naruto thought, _" Damnit, can't see anything!"_

 _"What the hell, Kurama? Why is she so pissed off?"_ asked Naruto.

Kurama said, ** _" Do you really have the time for that right now? Focus on the fight, dumbass."_**

It was a good thing that Kurama said so, because moments later Naruto narrowly escaped being speared with a number of sharp, pointy senbon.

A voice rang out. "Do you know, Uzumaki Naruto, that if even one of my senbon pierces you, it will result in frostbite? Stop fighting. It is fruitless."

Naruto was not listening. Instead he was trying to find the source of the voice, an impossible task as it seemed that the voice was coming out from everywhere around him.

"I _t's just like Zabuza's silent mist killing technique, but even more deadly!_ "

The voice rang out once more, "Now talk. How do you know Haku?"

Naruto simply said," He was my friend."

Tsuki hissed," _Lies_! Haku was the apprentice of the Demon Of the Mist! you would have a better chance of being killed than being her friend."

Naruto shouted," It's true. Believe whatever you want."

"We will see" the cold voice of Tsuki said. And Naruto was forced to dodge another row of senbon.

Naruto thought , _"Shoot, can't see her when she attacks. What should I do?_

Suddenly, he stilled as an idea struck his mind.

Closing his eyes, Naruto became still as a statue. Tsuki, sensing a rise in the energy coming from her target, attacked once more to disrupt whatever jutsu he was planning. But by that time it was too late.

The blonde's eyes opened, now with an orange shadow surrounding them. The pupils became rectangular and frog-like. Naruto dodged each and every one of the attacks which Tsuki threw at him. The sensing prowess which Sage mode granted was nothing to sneeze at.

He focused.

" _There_!" exclaimed Naruto in his mind. Without wasting a second, a _Rasen-shuriken_ formed in his hand and he sent it flying. The _Rasen-shuriken_ exploded in a dome of energy. Wind could be heard, whirling and screaming. Within a moment, the snowstorm was cleared away by the fierce force of the wind.

The sight of utter destruction greeted him. The debris of numerous boxes could be seen laying on the floor. It seemed that Naruto's attack had hit a tower or two, obliterating them.

Tsuki stood panting. Her battle kimono was in tatters and her skin was littered with bruises and scratches. However, the brunt of the attack had been absorbed by the ice barrier which she had erected at the last moment. The ice barrier, which was now whittled down to a slim piece of ice.

Tsuki cursed in her mind, _"Shit! That attack! I have got no chakra left at all."_

Struggling to stand, In a tired and raspy voice, she repeated her question," How do you know Haku?"

Naruto relaxed. It seemed that the fight was over. He started speaking.

He told her about his first mission. Everything.

"Haku was one of my first friends. Even though he was on the enemy's side, I saw him as a friend. That guy...He taught me one of the most important things in my life." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "He taught me to always protect my precious people. He taught me that it is only because of them that a person can become strong..."

Naruto clenched his fists and looking down, said in a low voice, "Something that I have failed to follow one too many times."

Tsuki's voice caused Naruto to look up

Smiling gently, she said, "That sounds like something she would say."

The Konoha ninja looked at her with surprise. Expression changing into a wistful smile, he said," So, what's your story? How do you know Haku? And also, why do you keep calling him a 'her'? He is a boy."

Tsukis deadpan expression caused him to pause.

"You believed her?", the white-haired woman said incredulously.

Face palming, she sighed,"That Haku... She still hadn't lost that pranking streak, had she?"

Naruto didn't say anything for a minute. Then, his jaw dropped open, and he said," _ehh_! So, so... does that mean that Haku really was a girl?"

Tsuki smirked and nodded. Naruto just said," The hell, Haku! You better be glad that you are dead otherwise I would kick your ass!" Realizing what he just had said, he winced and looked carefully at Tsuki.

Her somber expression said it all. Tsuki said, "Well, you wanted to know, right? Then let me tell you how I met Haku-nee."

* * *

 **Author's note: So sorry for the delayed update. I was busy with exams and stuff.**

 **Here is chapter 8. Please do tell me what you thought of it. This was my first extended battle scene. Did I do okay? I really don't like writing fight scenes.**

 **Also, I lied. At this rate, the Uzunami arc will take up at least 3 chapters more. I apologize. I can't write long chapters very well. I feel that it is much more manageable to write shorter but better edited and written chapters.**

 **Shameless advertising which you can ignore: Please check out my other Naruto fics too. Pretty please, with a cherry on top?**

 **This is SunlitSky21, signing out...**


	10. Chapter 9- Warm Winter

**Chapter 9- Warm Winter**

 _Haku said," Little girl, what are you doing here?"_

 _Tsuki replied with a deadpan expression ,"SunlitSky21 does own Naruto in any form or media."_

 _Haku patted Tsuki's head and said ,"There, there, its alright. I am here."_

 _And now, onto the chapter..._

LINE BREAK

 **A single smile, a simple kind word, can be more valuable than all the gold and diamonds in this world.**

LINE BREAK

Taking a deep breath, Tsuki said," I met Haku-nee when I was just seven years old. By that time, she was already ten years old, a brave kid trying to survive in a world that had been nothing but cold and cruel to her since her birth..."

 _Flashback_...

 _A little girl of seven years could be seen huddled in an alley, shivering from the cold climate, typical for the winters in the water country. The girl wore tattered clothes which could not even be classified as rags. Underneath all the dirt and grime, the silvery sheen of her hair was clearly visible._

 _Tsuki had not eaten anything since the past two days. Her stomach growled like a hungry beast and she could feel fatigue and exhaustion take over her. Under the bloody rule of the Mizukage Yagura, bloodlines were hunted down and were almost driven to extinction. These conflicts, which came to be known as the bloodline massacres, resulted in many orphans. One such orphan was Tsuki._

 _Tsuki did not even know why her parents were killed._

 _It had been a normal day for her. She had returned from the park after playing with her friends._

 _With a cheerful exclamation of "I am home!" the six year old proceeded to take off her shoes. Walking inside the house further, she entered the hall. The girl was about to call for her mother to prepare food, but the sight in front of her stopped her in her tracks._

 _Before her were the bodies of her parents, bloody and beaten. Their eyes were glassy and open._

 _Tsuki walked forwards and kneeling down, started shaking the body of her mother._

 _"M-m-mom, wake up. Why are you sleeping on the floor? You will catch a cold, you know?"_

 _Getting no response, she turned towards the body of her father._

 _"Dad, please wake up. Mom is playing a prank with me again, so please tell her to knock it off."_

 _She waited for a response. A second which felt like an eternity later, the little girl collapsed to the floor, sobbing heart brokenly._

 _" Why? Why, Kaa -chan, Tou-chan? Why did you leave me?"_

 _She got up shakily and ran. She ran away. From the house, her previous life, the cold bodies of her parents._

 _She ran till her legs bled. Finally, she collapsed from exhaustion. She cried out for help. But, people, for some strange reason, avoided her like the plague._

 _Dragging her tired body to a dark alleyway, she fell asleep near a dumpster, clutching her chest and crying._

 _For nearly a year, Tsuki survived on her own. Stealing from shops, even going to the length of eating scraps of food from dumpsters. But it was a miserable existence. It was a harsh world out there for just a six, almost seven year old girl._

 _It was winter now. And winter was an extremely tough period for street rats like her. So here she was, curled up into a ball, and bitterly remembering that it was on this very same day, an year ago, that she had everything ripped away from her._

 _A voice snapped Tsuki away from her grief. She looked up with a tear streaked face. Icy blue eyes met warm brown._

 _The girl in front of Tsuki couldn't have been older than ten. She too was dressed in tattered clothes, albeit, her's were in slightly better condition. With pale skin that appeared white despite all of the dirt, black silky tresses and big brown eyes, the girl was very pretty._

 _Tsuki said in a small voice, croaking due to disuse "W-what?"_

 _The girl in front of her said," I said, what are you doing in such a cold weather outside?"_

 _Tsuki just turned her head to her side and muttered," Mind your own business."_

 _A beat._

 _A dull thunk of hand hitting head rang out. Cradling her head, Tsuki pouted angrily and said," What gives?, Why did you hit me!"_

 _The elder girl deadpanned, "Just because."_

 _Her expression melting into a warm smile, the girl said, "I am Haku. What is your name?"_

 _The white haired girl said shyly," I am Tsuki."_

 _Haku said cheerfully," That is a very pretty name, Tsuki-chan!"_

 _Extending a hand towards her, Haku smiled gently and said," Let's find someplace which is warmer, ne?"_

 _Almost hesitantly, a tiny hand grasped the bigger hand and a bright, albeit, small appeared on Tsuki's face. She didn't say anything but just simply nodded._

 _From that day onwards, Haku and Tsuki were inseparable. Tsuki had never had elder siblings, but if she ever had one, she imagined them to be just like Haku. Haku took care of her. She helped and guided her. Tsuki looked up to Haku as an elder sister and Haku looked at Tsuki as a younger one._

 _The two quickly became notorious as tricksters. The two would go into shops, (well, shops which allowed them to enter, rather than just throwing them out for being street rats). There, Haku would pick up items such as food and clothing. Tsuki would hold on to them. When the time time came for payment, the shopkeeper would say something like "That would be seventy ryo, young lady" and Haku would reply, in a deadpan way," Sir, I am a boy."_

 _While the shopkeeper would be stunned by this or simply trying to process the audacity and sheer falseness of the statement, the two would make a run for it. Although they sometimes felt bad taking advantage of the shopkeepers' kindness, Many laughs were exchanged between them over this unique method of shop lifting._

 _Tsuki was happy during this period. More so than she ever had been. The bond between her and Haku was strong. To them, being with each other came as easy a breathing. But like all good things, it wasn't meant to last._

 _It had been a normal day like any other. They had stolen from shops using their time tested method and were now enjoying a hearty lunch of rice balls and fruits. When suddenly, two shadows fell over them._

 _Looking up, their eyes widened at the sight of two shinobi grinning cruelly._

 _Judging by their vests, they appeared to be chunin._

 _"Well ,well, what do we have here? Two filthy street rats, and the notorious shop lifters on top of that!", The one on the left said_

 _His friend agreeing with him, said," Looks like it. I bet both of them are demon spawns." A disgusted expression crossed his face._

 _The other smirked and said," Shall we teach the brats what happens to demon spawns?"_

 _Cracking his knuckles, the other chunin said," Let's."_

 _Haku and Tsuki were terrified. While Tsuki was frozen in shock, Haku's mind kicked into overdrive._

 _Lunging forward, Haku bit one of the chunin hard on his hand. The chunin let out a yowl of pain and slammed her on the wall of the alley, hard._

 _Cursing, he said," Little bitch!"_

 _Haku, with blood dripping down her mouth turned to Tsuki and shouted ,"Run, Tsuki!"_

 _Tsuki said," B-but what about You, Haku-nee?"_

 _Haku said urgently, "Don't worry about me. Just run!"_

 _Sobbing , the seven year old bolted, little legs moving fast. The other chunin moved in front of her, legs spread wide open in order to block her path but Tsuki dived between his legs._

 _The chunin whirled around with a curse but found himself unable to move. Looking down, he was shocked to see that his feet were coated in ice, and were stuck. Pushing chakra into his legs, he broke the ice with effort._

 _the chunin who haku had bitten, said, "Leave her. She is just going to die on her own."_

 _Both men turned to Haku. Haku just had one last thought before she was beaten within an inch of her life._

 _"Be free, little sister. Live. For me. I love you."_

 _Haku smiled._

 _LINE BREAK_

 _Tsuki kept running. This was just too eerily similar to the day her parents died. Tsuki, in her sorrow, did not notice that she had reached a bridge. The bridge was big and crowded with people. The water below was icy cold and swift._

 _Tsuki collided with someone. Looking up, she was greeted by the face of an angry civilian who said," Watch where you are going, brat!"_

 _Tsuki was terrified. She started to run again, but due to the frost coating the bridge, her legs slipped._

 _Falling into the icy depths of the water below, Tsuki had one last thought._

 _"Haku-nee..."_

 **The present...**

Tsuki somberly said," When I woke up, I found myself in a house. And beside the fire place, in a chair, an old man was seated. He told me that I had probably fallen into the river and was swept away by the current. But I was too numb due to the events that had occurred. When the haze on my mind cleared, the first thing that I did was to break down and start crying like there was no tomorrow. The old man comforted and consoled me. He took me in and treated me as if I was his own daughter."

"I finally dared to open up to the old man after two months and told him everything. And I learnt from him, that those two thugs were shinobi. And I also learnt that my elder sister, whom I loved more than anyone else in the world, was probably killed by them."

A spark entered Tsuki's eyes.

"I swore then and there that I would become a shinobi. So that I would never be powerless again."

Clenching her fists, she said," So that no one would ever have to sacrifice themselves for my pathetic self."

She continued, " The old man enrolled me in the academy. It was brutal The academy was tough and strict. But I survived."

Looking down at her hands, she said," I even killed my fellow classmates in the graduation test, so that I could become stronger. Their faces sometimes still haunt me , even up to this day."

"The old man died soon after I was made Genin. And that was the final straw. I had no attachments left to Kiri. So, I ran away and became a missing min."

"One day, while sitting in a bar, I heard rumours that a rebellion had started in Kiri. But the rebels were losing badly. I also learnt that one of the seven swordsmen, Momochi Zabuza , the demon of the mist, had defected and had also taken up an apprentice."

"That awoke something within me. It was a far fetched idea and I knew that there was very little chance, possibly none for it to happen, but I hoped. I hoped that The apprentice was Haku. I don't know how my mind came up with something like that but it did, and I could not leave that tiny little spark of hope."

"I travelled the shinobi countries, looking for clues and whereabouts of The Demon of the mist and his apprentice."

At this point, she shuddered.

"One day, I heard that the famous rogue-nin Momochi Zabuza and his apprentice were killed in wave country, by none other than Sharingan No Kakashi and his genin."

"I travelled to wave country and I started asking. Anything and everything. The villagers were unusually tight lipped but finally, I was able to locate the graves."

"And there I saw. The words,

'Haku, student of the infamous demon of the mist,

a fine shinobi

and a kind person 

May he rest in peace

written on one of the graves."

She whispered," I became so, so angry. I swore that I would avenge Haku-nee by killing the people responsible for her death. I desperately asked for more information but nobody was willing to reveal anything further. However, I did hear a snippet of information that the name of the newly built bridge where the battle was fought was The Great Naruto Bridge. I did not have much of a clue, but it was a start."

Looking at Naruto, she said," At first, I did not have the slightest inkling of what or who Naruto was and what was it's connection with a bridge. I logically concluded that it was the name of a person and started searching. Day by day, I started hearing more and more whispers about the feats of one Uzumaki Naruto. I finally had a name. I had seen your photos in newspapers. I was not sure if it was you, but I had seen you entering Uzunami. I was in the marketplace where you saved that little boy."

"And then tonight," closing her eyes, Tsuki said," You confirmed it. You were the Naruto I was looking for. That was the reason I was so furious when I heard you speak Haku's name."

She opened her eyes.

'But you defeated me soundly. And you told me about Haku and how she died in peace. And now, I...I ..Can't seem to find that desire for vengeance within me anymore."

Exhaling a long drawn out breath, Tsuki said, "There, you know my story now."

Naruto stood up, hair shadowing his eyes. There was a breeze of wind and suddenly, Naruto was in front of Tsuki. Tsuki reflexively flinched and tried to slip into a combat stance but Naruto's next action completely drove any thought of conflict out of her mind.

Naruto hugged Tsuki. Shocked, she stiffened but then melted into his warm embrace.

Pulling back, Naruto said, "I am so, so sorry Tsuki . I couldn't save Haku. It's my fault."

Tsuki said, shaking her head, "No, it's not. How could it be your fault, Naruto? You shed tears over a virtual stranger. If that's not kindness and compassion, then I don't know what is."

A gentle, beautiful smile lit up her face. She said, "I am just happy that Haku-nee was herself, up to the very end. Truly Kind, to the core. She died in the way she would have wanted, protecting her precious people till her last breath."

Naruto smiled gently.

The way which Tsuki was smiling at Naruto, stirred something inside him. For a moment, icy blue eyes were replaced by gentle, pupil less lavender and the white hair was replaced by indigo tresses in Naruto's vision.

His heart clenched.

 _" No, I can't! Not anymore! I don't deserve it!"_

Shaking himself out of the memory, Naruto assured Tsuki, who now was looking at him weirdly, with a smile. Tsuki, mercifully, didn't question him further.

After spending a while, sitting and recovering their chakra, Naruto asked suddenly," Hey, Tsuki?"

"Hmmm...?", Tsuki said absentmindedly.

"I was thinking, whether you could help me with a little something?", asked Naruto, almost slyly.

Tsuki sensing that something fun was gonna happen, smirked and nodded.

LINE BREAK

Nato had a busy day. He was truly tired of the peasants whining. Why couldn't they just submit themselves to his merciful rule and pay taxes on time?

He switched on the light of his house and...Almost pissed himself out of fright due to the presence of two masked figures in his house.

Both the figures in front of him had covered their faces with an anbu style porcelain mask(although it was a henge, which Nato didn't know about, unfortunately). One figure appeared to be male while the other female.

Nato shouted," What are you doing in my house? Get out this very instant or I will call my bodyguard. She is a dangerous missing nin, I am warning you!"

The male tilted his head and said amusedly," really?"

Gesturing to the female beside him, he said," Tsuki, go on, show him where his 'bodyguard' is."

A puff of smoke enveloped the other figure and instead of the masked woman, Tsuki could be seen with a smirk, twirling a senbon in her hands. She took a step forward, senbon ready to throw.

Nato paled.

"Tsuki, what is the meaning of this?'

Tsuki said," oh nothing much, Nato-san. I have just err.. _switched_ my allegiance, you could say."

Nato started shaking. He exclaimed," Whatever he is paying you, I will double, no, triple it! Just stop." In a much smaller voice, he added "please?"

Tsuki said coolly," Sorry, my services have been already hired."

The masked male smirked and said,' Well, Nato-san , how about we have a little chat? I have heard some...Unpleasant things about you harassing and troubling the poorer portions of Uzunami."

Nato whimpered.

That night, a lot of screams could be heard coming from the shoreline where ships were docked. I will give you a hint: Let's just say that it was a very, _very_ violent bath.

A few minutes later, more screams were heard

The mayor of Uzunami, too, had suffered a similar plight.

 **Author's note:**

 **And done!**

 **Chapter 9 is finished. And now only 2 more chapters(hopefully) are left for the Uzunami arc. I am sorry I dragged this intro arc so long but it had to be done. I wanted to display the changes in Naruto's character. As I warned you before, Naruto will be somewhat OOC in this fic. He won't be super genius or some shit like that but he will also not be an idiot. I don't just believe that it is truly possible to act like that all the time.**

 **So, please tell me, what did you think about Tsuki's story? Do you like where this story is heading? Any criticisms to offer. Any advice or anything else?**

 **If you have got something to say, please, please, leave a review. It helps me to remain inspired.**

 **This is SunlitSky21, signing out...**

P.S- Longest Chapter yet, Yay!


	11. Chapter 10- History's Story

**Chapter 10- History's Story**

 _Where does the chain break? At the weakest link._

 _Naruto climbed on the ship._

 _"Goodbye, Hikari San!"_

 _Hikari replied, " Naruto, I have to tell you something important.__

 _Naruto leaned in closer, "What?"_

 _Hikari said seriously, "SunlitSky21 does not own Naruto in any form or media."_

 ** _xxxxxxxxxx_**

After taking care of the revenue and administration issues respectively, Naruto, along with Tsuki returned to Hikari's house.

The night was spent with laughter and oohs and aahs as Naruto recalled and told the tale of the encounter between Him and Tsuki. Hotaru, who was half asleep before the duo arrived, was now wide awake with stars in his eyes letting out a whisper of _So cool_ frequently in between. Rinnosuke listened too, with a smile on his face as he grinded the herb. Hikari was there too, listening intently. Despite the several repeated efforts to make her go to bed, Hikari showing her stubborn streak, refused to until she had finished listening. Tsuki, having effectively nowhere to go now that her employer was ...Absent, had accompanied Naruto.

The retelling continued late into the night, almost upto early morning. So by the time Naruto finished, everyone was already halfway to sleep. Seeing this, Naruto chuckled quietly and slowly picked up the sleeping form of Hotaru and placed it near his mother. Then, he covered all of them with a blanket and exited the room, all the while smiling at Tsuki's peaceful expression as she slept.

It was well into the afternoon when the rest of the house woke up. Tsuki was the first one to do so followed by Hikari and Hotaru. Rinnosuke kept on sleeping and Naruto took great pleasure by waking him up personally with a kick to the gut. After the swearing and cursing(which had made Hikari cover Hotaru ears after Hotaru had asked," Mom, what is a fuc-?"), Everyone was awake. By evening, Rinnosuke had finished making the medicine.

Which brings us to the current event.

All of them were gathered in Hikari's room. Hikari, who was lying down and Rinnosuke who was standing, looked at each other. Their eyes met and a silent understanding passed between them. Taking a deep breath, Rinnosuke knelt down and holding Hikari's outstretched hand, proceeded to inject Hikari with the medicine.

For a moment, everything was still, no one even daring to take a breath.

And then relief swept over Hilaria face, her body relaxing. There was no drastic change but even a blind man would be hard pressed to miss the lack of pain showing up on Hiakris face.

Rinnosuke stood up smiling. He said , apparently satisfied, " The medicine seems to be working. Congratulations, Hikari-Chan, you are not going anywhere for a long, long time."

Hotaru was crying and smiling at the same time. Jumoing in the air, he let out a shout of jubilation. Hikari was watching him fondly like always but there was something different about it.

Naruto smiled and simply said, " Congratulations, Hikari-san."

Hikari replied, smiling happily, ' Thank you. Thank you, all of you. "

The words were simple but there was no mistaking the depth of gratitude within them.

Rinnosuke said, mock-angrily, " Okay, enough with all the sappiness. My patient needs her rest and all of you are interfering! So, get lost brats!"

Hotaru and Naruto pouted but did as they were told, although not without their fair shares of complaints.

Exiting the room, Naruto looked at Hotaru. The younger boy looked happier than he had ever seen. Bending down in order to meet Hotaru's eyes, Naruto squatted down on the ballls of his feet and gently ruffled Hotaru's hair. He said, grinning, " See, I told you that I would help cure your mom! I always keep my promises, Hotaru."

Hotaru smiled and said, "Yes, you did."

Naruto stood up again and stretched

"Ahh, after all that tension and nerves, I really need to burn some energy. Hotaru, I am going out, Kay?"

At this, Hotaru slyly smiled and said," Oh, so are you going to meet Tsuki-neechan? I guess you were missing her. Niichan , it's not been even three hours since she left for a walk! Alright, go ahead. I am sure she must be missing you too."

Naruto did a double take, choked on his spit and fell flat on his face at the same time. Getting up, he spluttered out, "What the hell, you brat? There is nothing going on between us, ya hear me!"

Hotaru, the little devil just made a shooing motion with his arms.

"Fine, fine I am going , you little brat! "grumbled Naruto.

Exiting the house, Naruto quickly jumped on the roof of a nearby house. It was night time and the full moon was shining brilliantly.He started hopping from one roof to another. He knew where Tsuki would be, having done the same time many times himself. Naruto quickly traversed the entire length of Uzunami and reached upto the cliff on the northern side of Uzunami, the same cliff he had jumped from when he entered the port city He scaled it, movements fast and fluid. There, on the edge of the cliff,was Tsuki. Her tranquil expression momentarily shifted into surprise When she saw Naruto coming up,but soon regained it's calm. Naruto seated himself right next to Tsuki.

A comfortable silence permeated the air , as both Tsuki and Naruto sat silently, observing the beauty of Uzunami in the moonlight.

After a while, Tsuki spoke, breaking the silence, " Naruto...I ... Am thinking of leaving."

Beside her, Naruto quirked an eyebrow, confused, " Leaving?"

Tsuki said, 'I meant that I am going to travel. Maybe see some new places."

Naruto asked, "But why now? Hikari San is cured and even Nato is dead. You can wait, at least for a lttle while more!!"

Naruto knew he was starting to sound whiney but he didn't want Tsuki to leave so soon. He still had a lot to ask her about her childhood and Haku .

"Naruto, I have told you everything I knew about Haku-nee. Our time together was short, no matter how much she meant to me. Besides, I have a strong feeling that we will meet again. So, dont think of this as permanent, okay? "Tsuki said, having correctly guessed Naruto's thought process.

On hearing this, any further protests that Naruto could have made died on his lips. Siging, He looked up at the star spangled sky. After a while, his cerulean gaze met Tsuki's icy blue ones once more and he said, somewhat resignedly, " I see that you have made up your mind."

Bringing a hand upto his neck and rubbing it a little awkwardly, Naruto continued, "I guess the oly thing that I can do now is simply wish you luck'ttebayo."

Tsuki smiled, thankful for her friends understanding. Getting up, she offered a hand to Naruto, who grasped it to pull himself up too. Their gazes met and an understanding passed between them. Naruto smiled a bit solemnly, but still tried to keep his smile cheerful for her.

A blink. And where there were two people standing on the cliffside, there was only one now.

 **xxxxxxx**

It was almost morning by the time Naruto had reached Hikari's home. The sky was lightening up and a faint glow could be seen on the horizon, indicating that dawn was just a few minutes away. Deciding to see the sunrise, Naruto channeled chakra to his legs and jumped up on to the roof of the house in a big leap. Standing there, the hyperactive ninja watched the sunrise, surprisingly, with a stillness and melancholy that one would not normally associate with him.

After a minute or two, Naruto's senses picked up a slight movement behind him. Turning around, he said, "Wow, Hikari-san I certainly didn't expect you to be up and about so quickly after your illness."

Hilaria just smiled wryly, and said, " Well, what can I say, I always had a very healthy constitution."

Naruto hummed in response. For a moment there was silence in between the both of them. Hikari was the one to break it first.

Taking a big breath, hazel eyes shining determinedly, Hikari said, "Naruto-san, Your last name...are you truly a member of the Uzumaki clan?"

Naruto was caught off guard by the question but seeing no harm in telling, he said ,"My mom was an Uzumaki, so you could say that, I guess?"

Hikari whispered, "I thought so."

Looking at the sunrise, she asked, "Did you know that the Uzumaki had a home country before it's destruction?"

Naruto replied, "It was the Uzu no kuni, right? However, I don't really know the exact details about its destruction."

Hikari said," Correct. The land of the whirlpools, just north of Uzunami was the birthplace of the Uzumaki and also contained Uzushiogakure, the hidden ninja village of the Uzumaki and one of the most powerful villages of all time."

Turning towards Naruto and locking cases with him, Hikari asked, softly," Naruto-san, would you like to hear a story? It's not a happy story but it was something my mother once told me."

Curiosity piqued, Naruto nodded.

Hikari began.

 **xxxxx**

 _There were once three brothers. Out of these three, two of the brothers names are still very well known, even today. For you see, all the three brothers were fearsome warriors and sages. You could say that these brothers were the originators of all shinobi. All the three brothers, while being gifted with power, were incredibly peace loving. However, their mother was an entirely different matter._

 _Their mother, was once upon a time, a kind and gentle woman, an ordinary human. However, by chance or by fate, one day, she stumbled upon a humongous tree. The tree was absolutely huge, it's canopy touching the sky. A strange fruit was borne on one of the branches of the tree. The fruit glowed with a vibrant hue. The woman, being famished, three away caution to the wind and plucking the fruit from the tree, she ate it._

 _That was just the beginning. The woman was granted powers akin to a god due to the fruit. She became the strongest person in the entire world. At first, she used her power for good. She stopped all the conflicts and ushered mankind into a new era of peace. She also gave birth to three beautiful sons. All was well._

 _But it was not meant to last. It is said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The God Tree or the Shinju of whom she had partaken the fruit of, started poisoning her mind with whispers. There was also unrest in her kingdom, and wars and battles were erupting once again._

 _Her sons turned out to be almost as powerful as their mother, with the same unique energy. They became known as warriors and saints throughout the land._

 _The youngest brother, perhaps the kindest of them all, out of feeling the need to help mankind and putting an end to the conflicts, gave them the greatest gift. He gifted them with the power of chakra, Ninshu, he called it._

 _The whispers grew and grew. And eventually ,one day she snapped. Merging with the God tree, the woman decided to reclaim all of the chakra spread throughout the world, the God tree seeing it as its own. She became a fiersome monster. The Ten Tails, and proceeded to rampage across the land._

 _At first, the three brothers did nothing, for even if she had become a rampaging monster, she was still their mother, the one who had given birth to them and had cared for them. However, the deaths and calamities continued to increase until finally, the brothers had to step in to stop the monster._

 _The battle between the ten Tails and the brothers was legendary. For days they fought, the very landscape changing due to their prowess. The youngest brother, skilled at the physical arts of chakra. The middle one, with a dojutsu inherited from their mother, skilled with the spiritual arts. And the eldest, the one skilled at the arcane art of sealing._

 _The brothers, in the end, finally succeeded in defeating the juubi by sealing it away.The younger brothers weakened and damaged it with their attacks, giving the eldest the opportunity to draw the seal._

 _The seal was immeasurably complex, perhaps the most complex seal in the history of mankind. Pouring his entire chakra into it, risking death, it was ultimately the eldest one who 'killed' the juubi by sealing it away to the moon._

 _The three brothers were regarded as heroes and gods by the people due to their victory. Time passed. The younger ones were satisfied, finally feeling that the world was at peace. But, the eldest and the wisest brother, knew that it was human nature to seek conflict and by giving man the power of chakra, it would only further increase conflict. He tried to reason with the younger ones but they weren't willing to believe his concerns. The eldest brother eventually gave up, and along with his wife and a few close friends and followers, left._

 _Seeking to isolate himself and to protect his loved ones, the eldest decided to make an island, far off the coast into the sea, as his home. He made the island nigh impregnable with his skill at fuinjutsu, and was capable enough to bind the sea to his will._ _It is said that he created whirlpools around the island, just by his seals, making the island almost impossible to invade._

 _Years passed, and the eldest's wife gave birth to a son, but it cost her her life. Swearing his life for his son, the eldest brother raised his son with love and care and taught him everything he knew about fuinjutsu and the shinobi way. The son grew up and matured into a powerful shinobi and a virtuous man._

 _One day, the son asked his father to go outside the island and see the world. The brother hesitated at first but seeing the spark of determination in his eyes, he was forced to give his permission at last._

 _After three years, his son returned. However, he was different. A lot more bitter and angry. Seeing the war torn world outside had changed him. The brother, now an old man, was troubled at seeing his son like this but couldn't do anything to help him._

 _One night, the eldest brother was suddenly jolted awake from his sleep, pangs of dread clutching his heart. Looking outside, he saw his precious village burning. He rushed out and was confronted with a sight no father should ever have to see. His son, murdering everyone in cold blood around him, his body radiating with power and a manic grin on his face._

 _The father was anguished but he knew that his duty to his people came first. So, he confronted his son._

 _His son, crazed with power and bloodlust, was too far gone to reason. On asking his son the reason he was doing this, his son replied," We are better than them! we, the ones who are gifted with power, have the right to rule over the weak. That's the only way this cursed world will be at peace, Father!"_

 _Shocked and anguished, the brother could do nothing but engage his son in battle. It was a difficult fight. Time had not been kind to him and he could feel the strain in his old bones. His son was extremely powerful and in his prime and had surpassed him in fuinjutsu. But even then they fought on even footing, the father keeping up through sheer force of will. In the end, the father's experience gave him the edge, and as he prepared to land the final blow on his son, he hesitated, just for a little while. This was all the opening needed for the son to push a kunai though his father's heart_

 _The eldest brother knowing that he did not have long, did the only thing he could. Sacrificing his life, in his final moments, he sealed his son into his own body, ensuring that his son could not cause any further anguish to anyone._

 _And so died the elder brother, the watcher, the protector. To honour his memory, his descendants took upon his name and in time, came to be renowned as a great clan, blessed with vitality, powerful chakra and incredible prowess at fuinjutsu, all the things the eldest brother was known for."_

 _A fierce pride shimmered in Hikari's eyes._

 _"We are his descendants. We are the **Uzumaki**."_

 ** _xxxxx_**

 **And that's the chapter folks!!**

 **I am really sorry for this EXTREMELY late update. A lot of changes occured. But I realized that this too is important for me. So I will keep on writing.**

 **Please look after me, everyone!**

 **The Uzunami arc will be finished in the next chapter. I promise guys, the time travel is coming.**

 **This Is SunlitSky21, signing out.**


	12. Chapter 11- Goodbye

**Chapter 11- Farewells and Journeys** "Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn't work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos." » Charles M. Schulz

XxxxxxxxX

I do not own Naruto.

By the time Hikari had finished her story,The sun had risen completely, with brilliant rays of light peeking out through the clouds and illuminating the entire sky. The morning light hit both Hikari's and Naruto's faces. One, fierce and proud with a fire blazing in the eyes, and the other, seemingly calm, but an underlying emotion simmering beneath.

Naruto was at a loss of words, his mind clouded with too many emotions to comprehend.

Pride. Loss. Hope. Sorrow. Joy.

Here was something that had been his legacy and yet no one had ever told him about it! As a child it would have meant everything to him to belong to something, even if that thing were the memories of a long lost clan. And yet, even old man sandaime didn't tell him anything.

Resentment seared up within him, the emotion dark and strong, surprising Naruto with its intensity. Struggling to push away the sudden dark emotion, Naruto took a deep calm breath, closing his eyes.

After a few moments, his mind finally calmed down, and he began to think about the story that Hikari had told him.

"So, that's how the Uzumaki were formed. I do admit, I don't know if her story is entirely true or not, but at least I can hope. And that's better than nothing. Still, this just gives me another reason on top of my own one to visit Uzushiogakure." Thought Naruto.

Opening his eyes, he smiled and said, "Thank you, Hikari-san. It means a lot to me that you would share something like this with me."

Hikari said, shrugging, " It's just a story, Naruto. But I am glad you liked it."

But Naruto was not fooled by her act. Her eyes told Naruto more than enough.

Naruto said, turning around, with his hands in his pockets, "Well, let's go inside. I am starving!"

However, before taking a step forward, Naruto turned his head back and looking at Hikari piercingly, asked ," You are one too, aren't you, Hikari-san? How else would you know the story?"

Hikari simply smiled, but with a hint of mischievousness sparkling within her eyes.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

What followed was a delicious breakfast, courtesy of Hikari. Everyone from yesterday's group, namely Hikari, Hotaru, Rinnosuke and Naruto were seated at the dining table, bellies full and satisfied.

Patting his distended belly, Naruto let loose a humongous burp, causing Hotaru to exclaim ," That's disgusting, Nii-san!" and a round of laughs erupting from Rinnosuke and Hiakri.

The joyous atmosphere, however, changed quickly due to Naruto.

Looking at each and everyone at the table, Naruto said, " Guys, I wanted to tell you something."

Taking a breath, he continued, " I plan on leaving today."

Now, Naruto was expecting a response, and rightfully so, because as soon as he said that, everyone burst out in questions and talk, leading to an incoherent mess of noise.

After a while, everyone calmed down once more. Hikari, deciding to be the one to speak, asked,

" So soon, Naruto-san? Are you sure you can't stay for a few more days?"

Naruto said, with a small smile, " I am sorry, Hikari-san but I can't. Besides, You will be alright without me now, seeing how Nato is gone and Rinnosuke-jiji is here."

Hikari looked a little conflicted , her expression being mirrored by Hotaru. However, it was ultimately Rinnosuke who spoke.

"Let the boy go, Hikari-chan. He has done more than enough for us."

After a moment of silence, Hikari just nodded sadly.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Standing at the harbour, Naruto looked across the wide ocean, gaze travelling. His eyes landed on the boat he had hired from a local a while ago. It was nothing extravagant, just a small sailboat, worn with age. Naruto already had prior experience of operating sailboats, due to the time spent on one when he was travelling to Kaminari No Kuni before the war, so it was more preferable for him to use a sailboat.

Tightening the strap of the small pack slung around his shoulder, Naruto turned around.

In front of him stood three people, whom he had become good friends with in a surprisingly short amount of time.

Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto said, "Well, I guess, this is goodbye then."

Naruto's gaze landed on Hotaru, who was doing his best to restrain the tears falling from his eyes.

Kneeling down, Naruto sat on the balls of his feet and looking into Hotaru's eyes, he placed a hand on the boys head, and gently ruffled his hair.

Grinning brightly, Naruto said, "Be sure to protect your Mom, Kay Hotaru? And don't cry. Aren't you a big boy now?"

Hotaru said, with tears streaming down his cheeks, " I will! I promise. Naruto-nii, Thank you, for everything!"

Naruto smiled and stood up. Turning to Hikari, he was about to open his mouth but before he could say anything, Hikari engulfed him in a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Naruto. I will forever be grateful to you for what you have done for us. I wish you luck and I hope you find what you are searching for."

Stepping away from the embrace, she planted a kiss on Naruto's cheek, causing it to redden a bit due to a blush.

Naruto smiled softly, " Thank you, Hikari-san."

Rinnosuke said gruffly, "Take care of yourself, you annoying brat. Wouldn't want to see you coming back with your ass all beaten up.'

Naruto chuckled and said, "Yeah, I love you too, you old geezer."

Stepping away from the small group, Naruto smiled.

Turning around, he landed on the ship with a smooth jump and undid the ropes binding the sails.

The sails bulged, catching the wind and the ship started moving.

Jumping on the railing, Naruto waved his arms and shouted ," Bye, everyone!"

The three people on the dock laughed, and waved their own arms back in response ,with bright smiles on their faces.

Naruto turned around, and facing the bright blue ocean in front of him, thought,

"I am coming, Uzushiogakure."

On the roof of a building situated near to the pier, a woman smiled, with her own hands raised in farewell.

XxxxxxX

Somewhere else, a young man with black hair too set out on a journey of his own, with a man with silver hair and a girl with pink hair watching him go.

Looking at his hand, the very same one with which he had poked Sakura on the forehead with, Sasuke smiled, his other hand clutching a forehead protector with a long scar on it, which Naruto had left for him before he left.

Walking slowly, Uchiha Sasuke soon disappeared into the distance,.

Watching him go, the pink haired woman turned to the silver haired man and said, " Sensei, I..."

The silver haired just placed a hand on her head and said, sighing ," I know you you feel, Sakura. "

Gazing up at the sky, He thought, with the images of his former team in front of his eyes, "Trust me, I know"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It was almost nighttime when Kurama finally spoke again, having been oddly silent before.

"Naruto.."

Naruto, who was gazing at the stars, replied with an absent minded hum.

" **Naruto, what do you plan to do once we are going to reach Uzushiogakure? And in fact, why are we going there in the first place? You never told me the reason clearly."**

Hearing this,Naruto closed his eyes and said, "I am trying to find meaning, Kurama.

The fox asked, with a hint of confusion, " **Meaning**?"

Naruto replied ," Yes, meaning. Before, I was so sure about what I was going to do after the war. I thought that I had finally found myself and settled my issues. I thought that I was close to achieving my dream. But, after that incident, even now"

Letting his gaze drop down towards his hands, with his palms outstretched, Naruto continued,

"I can still see the blood, her blood, on these hands. Everyone keeps telling me it's not my fault, but even then, aren't these still the very same hands that killed her? In my current state, I would only cause the people around me to feel sad, and I don't want that."

Kurama said, " **But then why go to Uzushiogakure?** "

Naruto said, "I don't know clearly myself, Kurama. I guess, I am just trying to find a little more about myself and by extension, my people. As a child, I always wanted to belong and now that I have learnt about the Uzumaki, you could say it's a way of honouring my mother and her memory. Yes, I found recognition with my precious people in Konoha but now, I feel...dirty. I don't know whether I will be able to look them in the eye. Hell, I don't know if I want to be Hokage anymore. How could I, when I let her, someone who has been with me for every step of the way, die? I saved one precious person but lost another one."

Kurama roared, " **Then you are just being a coward! The Naruto I knew would have never ran away!"**

Naruto smiled bitterly," Even if it makes me a coward, I can't help it. If nothing, think of it as a new goal. My old dream is almost gone, Kurama. So, please, help me find a new one, and allow me to be selfish, just this one time."

Kurama was stunned into silence.

Heaving out a great sigh, the fox thought, "Death changes people, doesn't it, Naruto? After being so strong for so long, there was bound to be something that would happen, that would cause even you to shatter."

Softening his tone, Kurama said, **"Don't berate yourself too much, Naruto. Even though I still think that it wasnt right for you to leave, but I also realize that, in the end, you are still human."** **"So, don't worry. I am gonna be here with you, every step of the way, you damn brat. You hear me, Naruto?"**

Naruto smiled, warmth and fondness welling up inside of him for the bijuu inside his gut.

A lone tear slid down his cheek.

Smiling brightly, he said, "I hear you, partner."

Both fox and human sat quietly, in companionship.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The morning dawned bright and beautiful, with the sun appearing to come out of the sea, setting the ocean alight with the colours of gold, orange and yellow.

Naruto gazed upon it, feeling awed by the sight. It was the first time in his short life of seventeen years that he had seen a sunrise like this, having been born and grown up on a region deep inland.

Morning turned into noon, with Naruto barely noticing it, so engrossed was he in the navigation of the ship.

At some time during midday, Naruto felt a change in the wind. The wind, which was cool and calm before, slowly started increasing in velocity. A low hum filled his ears, drowning out any other sound.

Rushing to the front of the ship, Naruto saw something which caused a gasp of shock and awe to escape him.

In front of him, almost a hundred metres ahead was a gigantic whirlpool, with the sky above it being filled with mist and spray due to the whirlpool

And his ship was sailing right into it.

Naruto gulped.

"Kurama" he thought, in a hitched voice, shaking with terror.

Kurama, who was having a nap, grumbled from being woken up and started speaking irritably " **What is it you damn brat?"**

Seeing Naruto still silent, Kurama used Naruto's eyes to see.

And let out a small, " **oh** ".

Naruto and Kurama looked at each other.

 **"It has been nice knowing you my friend."**

"Me too, you damn fox."

By the time Naruto had regained his senses, it was too late.

XxxxxX

Later on, Naruto would reflect back on this incident, and realize something.

He was really, really lucky to have made it out alive.

The whirlpool sucked the ship in, almost as if it was pulling it with a rope.

Naruto knowing that it would be bad for him to be near the ship when it capsized, jumped away from the ship with all his might, clutching his pack tightly.

The wooden board splintered beneath him as his chakra fuelled jump propelled him upwards into the air. Still in midair, Naruto looked below and paled on seeing the ship getting sucked into the eye of the whirlpool and disappearing beneath the waves.

"I was supposed to return that ship!"

"Brat, focus, we have bigger problems currently!"

Chakra fuelled jump or not, gravity was not to be denied and soon Naruto began free falling down, right into the frothing and churning sea blow him.

By a stroke of good luck, his chakra propelled jump had shot him to almost the periphery of the whirlpool, so when Naruto did fall back into the ocean, he was at the edge of the whirlpool.

Not to say that made the situation much better.

As soon as Naruto's body hit the water, he was pulled down below the waves. His body started rotating about the eye of the whirlpool almost as if he was a stone attached to a string.

Meanwhile, Naruto's mind was working at a thousand miles per hour.

"There has got to be some way to escape this!"

After a moment or too, something clicked.

"Kurama"

" **yeah?"**

"I have an idea but you are not gonna like it."

" **Go ahead, brat. Besides, we don't have many options anyway**."

Nodding, Naruto focused chakra to both his palms. With immense concentration, he formed two huge rasengans, one in each palm and placing his hands parallel to his body, he faced his palm backwards.

With a shout, Naruto violently destabilised the chakra inside the Rasengans, causing chakra to leave his palms in a burst of force and energy. The force of the implosion propelled Naruto forwards causing his body to become a blur.

Naruto kept on supplying chakra to his palms and kept on repeating the process. Soon, he was revolving around the whirlpool at extremely high speeds, causing him to feel nauseous.

"Come on just a little more chakra and we will be out!"

Pushing a huge amount of chakra through his palms, Naruto let out a soundless yell of effort. The chakra, bigger than any other previous amount, spread through the water, illuminating it.

Somewhere, deep at the bottom, something glowed, and for a moment Naruto felt the pull of the whirlpool lessen.

Not questioning why, Naruto thanked his luck, and sent forth a burst of chakra from his palms, both palms facing the centre of the whirlpool, Naruto having turned his body , facing towards the centre of the whirlpool.

Coupled with his already high speed and the added force of the chakra blast, Naruto's momentum proved too much for the pull of the whirlpool and in a huge spray of water, Naruto burst out of the ocean.

His body flying through the air, the exhausted Naruto had one last thought before falling unconscious.

"I guess that worked."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

When Naruto's consciousness returned, his first sensation was soreness and pain. It permeated each and every cell of his body, making it hard for any other thing to surface.

Soon, the pain subsided a bit and Naruto could feel something beneath him. It felt soft and warm. Almost like...

Sand!

Using his hand, Naruto scooped out a fistful and brought it close to its face. Rubbing it on his cheek, he felt it. Yes, that was definitely sand!

Cracking his eyes wide open, Naruto blinked. As his vision cleared, he was greeted with a bright blue sky.

Coughing, Naruto struggled to get up. Being Disoriented, it took him a while to do so but he eventually stood up on shaky limbs.

In front of him spread the ocean, with no hint of whirlpools in sight for nearly miles. Only when he squinted and struggled to look far, could he see some disturbance off the coastline, far into the sea.

"Man, did I really fly that far?"

Turning around, Naruto beheld a magnificent site.

In front of him, a few metres ahead, stood a forest. The forest was dense and green, with huge trees of different shapes, all of their leaves a dark, vibrant green.

A gentle breeze was blowing, carrying the coolness and saltiness of the sea.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto strode forward into the forest.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

After walking for quite a while, Naruto had to admit that the forest was magnificent. The sunlight streamed through the leaves, giving the forest a warm and peaceful glow.

The trees themselves swayed gently with the wind and the sounds of birds chirping could be heard.

Having finally recovered his chakra amount, Naruto jumped in the air and landed on one of the branches. Channeling chakra to his feet, he began jumping from one branch to another. After a few hours, Naruto stopped. The sun had already sunk below the horizon and the forest had become dark, only illuminated by the faint light of the moon.

Naruto was tired and hungry and his feet were aching. So, he decided to call it a day and get some rest. Collecting a few branches fromt he nearby trees, Naruto set up a pile of wood in preparation for a fire. However, a thought stopped him.

How was he going to light a fire?

Nearly an hour later, Naruto was almost about to give up. He had been rubbing two sticks against each other continuously, in hope of generating a fire through the heat caused by the friction, but was met with no success.

Frustrated, Naruto threw down his sticks and shouted out loud.

Sighing, he thought, "I really need to learn a fire ninjutsu."

Attracted by his shout, a nearby wolf prowled forward, stealthily and cautiously. It had been hidden in a bush until now, eyeing the young man hungrily.

With a growl, the wolf pounced. However, what the poor wolf didn't know was that the young man was no ordinary man.

With a tick mark on his face, Naruto slammed a fist atop the wolf's head as it came close, driving it to the ground.

The wolf was knocked out instantly.

Turning his back to the wolf, Naruto again picked up his two sticks and started rubbing them together like a madman.

By a stroke of luck, the sticks, finally caught fire, which caused Naruto to let out a shout of joy.

Soon, a small fire was burning brightly. Naruto sat down, content. Looking at the unconscious wolf, Naruto's stomach grumbled.

You know what they say. Eat or be eaten, that's the law of the jungle.

That night, Naruto went to sleep with a full stomach and a pile of bones near him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The sun rose up, bright and welcoming. Feeling the light rays hitting his face, Naruto woke up. Stretching his body, he let out a contented sigh when he heard numerous cracks and pops occur.

" **Oi, brat,** "came the voice of Kurama.

"What is it, Kurama?"asked Naruto lazily.

" **Can't you use sage mode to feel the residual chakra in the surroundings?"**

"Yeah", Naruto replied confusedly, not seeing the point Kurama was making.

Kurama shouted, **"Then why didn't you use it to search for, I don't know, a Frickin village or some shit?"**

Naruto smacked himself in the face, groaning at his stupidity.

Standing up, he dusted himself off and started drawing in Nature energy. A few moments later, his eyelids were tinted orange, signifying Sage mode.

Extending his senses, Naruto used sage mode to sense the environment. The first thing that struck Naruto was the energy of the place around him. It was brimming with vitality and life even more than Myobokuzan, the home of the toads. It almost reminded him of the way his chakra felt.

Focusing, Naruto zeroed in on a spot that had a lower concentration of energy in comparison to the rest of the island. From what he could feel, there was the slightest hint of residual human chakra in the region. The region was a little far from Naruto's location, but Naruto decided that it would be the best place to start from.

After travelling for a while, Naruto was greeted with a faint, worn path stretching out in front of him. Jumping down, he started walking. The path slowly started getting wider. However, it also started getting steeper and steeper, to the point that Naruto felt as if he was going up a mountain.

Continuing to walk on the path, Naruto saw something in front of him. Breaking out into a run, Naruto sped ahead, the thing in front of him getting bigger and bigger until, Naruto finally saw what it was.

A huge gate stood in front of him, nearly as tall and wide as the gates at Konoha's entrance. However, the gates looked old and damaged, as they were lacking half a door, allowing easy access to the area which they were supposed to be restricting entrance too. Naruto slowly walked towards the gate, which allowed him to better see the image on the doors. A huge swirl, or more like half of it was drawn on the remaining door, matching exactly with the swirl on Naruto's back.

Walking past the gate, Naruto looked ahead.

Eyes wide with awe, He whispered,

"I have found Uzushiogakure No Sato."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

 **Dun, dun, dun!!!** **Naruto has finally reached Uzushiogakure. Finally, the story is progressing.** **I am really sorry for the incredibly long intro arc that almost took me a year to publish, but I wanted to play around a little bit with the characters. I wanted to showcase the changes in Naruto. I hope that I have succeeded in it.** **Oh my, so many mysteries in this chapter! Please keep it to yourself if you figured it out. I don't want you to spoil anybody else's fun.** **I hope this chapter had more content in it and was more fulfilling. I will continue to do my best, so please keep on supporting me! I am still a rookie and I am improving.** **Please review! It gets me inspired to continue.** **This is SunlitSky21, signing out.** **P.S- as an apology for not updating for so long, I wrote an omake. I hope you guys enjoy it.**

Omake-How Hotaru's name came to be.

Hotaru's father, a man named Akihito, was to put it lightly, a little eccentric.

Basically, in Hikari's words, he was a complete doofus and goofball.

However, it was his bright attitude and charming smile that had caused her to fall in love with him in the first place.

When Akihito learnt that Hikari was pregnant, he literally jumped upon the roof of their house and started shouting " I am gonna be a dad!" to the entire neighborhood. And then promptly proceeded to slip and fall off the roof, landing in the street with a loud crash.

The people on the streets sweatdropped at the weirdo while Hikari, still inside the house, had curled into a ball, rocking herself back and forth, while muttering, "I do not know him, I do not know him."

Akihito had been stubbornly adamant that their child was going to be a girl, no matter, how much Hikari had tried to convince him of the possibility of it being a boy.

Nine months later, Hikari gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Hearing the news from the nurse, Akihito rushed in and started blubbering and crying over how cute his little girl was.

Hikari, tired from her delivery, could only manage to utter out a weak, "He is a boy, you dumbass."

However, Akihito didn't hear her and continued to cry like an overgrown man child. However, as he was crying, his gaze fell upon the baby's nether regions.

Akihito, who was shouting loudly before, fell strangely silent, causing Hikari to look at him, concerned.

Raising his head, Akihito shouted, "Nurse, why does my baby girl have a dick?"

The nurse just sweatdropped.

Later, after a lot of explanations and beating Akihito six ways to Sunday, the man finally accepted that he had a boy.

However, so stuck was he in his refusal of the possibility of having a boy, that he didn't pick out a boy's name.

However, Hikari had promised him that he could name the first child, and seeing his puppy dog eyes, had crumbled.

Akihito laughed nervously, "Well, since I don't have a name for him, let's just call him by the only name which I had thought of."

Hikari asked "And that is?"

Akihito replied, hoisting the baby up into the air,"We are naming him, Hotaru!"

Hikari could only sigh and facepalm at her idiotic husband.


	13. Chapter 12-A new step forwards?

**Chapter 12- A step forwards?**

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto.

 _Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind- Nathaniel Hawthorne_

Uzushiogakure was beautiful, Naruto decided, after staring at the scene before him for a minute or two, eyes widened in wonder.

Before him, stood a vast expanse of land in the form of a hidden village or what was once a hidden village. Uzushiogakure was situated in a circular depression of sorts, with mountains surrounding it on three sides and the remaining portion open to the sea. The mountains were of average height, tall enough that it would take a greater portion of a day to reach the top, even at ninja speeds. The peculiar feature of the mountains was that rather than being very tall, they were impossibly wide in girth, thus allowing a large amount of greenery, practically forests, to grow on them. Just like the mountain on which Naruto was currently standing, they surrounded Uzushiogakure, protecting it.

Naruto couldn't see the part of the mountains facing towards the sea, but he was willing to bet they all eventually led to flat areas of land, which eventually continued on to form sandy beaches or rocky cliffs, but he couldn't ascertain the presence of either due to the sheer scale of the mountains. In front of him, the center of his vision was occupied by the vast ocean, its waters sparkling in the light of the sun. However, Naruto was not fooled by its calm appearance because far off, in the distance, there were dark clouds and fog, signifying the presence of whirlpools.

 _"There is even a dock!"_ Naruto thought, surprised,

 **"Or what is left of it."**

Focusing on the city itself, Naruto could make out a large number of worn, broken buildings, the colours stripped away by the elements. A huge wall surrounded the hidden village, with the exception of the dock, built most likely to separate the forest and the village.

Tearing away his gaze from the scene in front of him, Naruto's eyes found a well worn path to his left, leading into the dense forest once more, and descending down towards the village.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto turned and started walking.

It took him a while to reach the village but Naruto was in no hurry. He was quiet, observing everything around him. The path which led to the village was a simple dirt road, winding among the trees. It was sheltered from the rays of the sun due to the dense canopy of the trees hanging over it, with occasional rays of sunlight streaming through.

The path ended in another gate, similar to the one in Konohagakure, with the exception of the symbol of fire being replaced by a swirl. The gates were open, and looked like someone had almost blasted them off their hinges.

Naruto mused, _"It is kinda scary when you think about it because to do so one would have to possess Tsunade's level of strength or equally explosive firepower. Geez, Someone sure was totally pissed off, weren't they?"_

Walking past them, Naruto finally entered Uzushiogakure and found himself looking, at the very picture of ruin and damage. No building was untouched and the streets were littered with debris, hiding whatever colour they originally were. Saddened at the state of his homeland, Naruto stopped for a moment,bowing his head, and then continued walking, determined to see Uzushiogakure in its entirety.

By the end of the day, Naruto was able to explore the majority of the hidden village and was able to figure out the general layout of the place. The docks were on the south end of the city and from there, Naruto was able to see that the tallest building in the area appeared to be located quite inside the village, at the northernmost end. Being too damaged for the marking on it to be legible, it loomed over the village like a watchful guardian, it's back almost joint with the wall. On observing further, Naruto saw that the walls themselves were broad enough that shinobi could walk on them and keep guard.

Deciding to see what lay below the docks, Naruto jumped on the ocean and started walking on the surface of the water, at a somewhat slow pace. After a while, he was finally able to exit the area of the water enclosed by the mountains, and found out that the mountains ended in cliffs of great heights, which led to the image of Uzushiogakure appearing to be cut out of the very mountains themselves, surrounded by cliffs. It was an awe inspiring sight and left Naruto spell bound.

Deciding not to walk out any further, lest he be caught up in a whirlpool, Naruto circled around the island, kicking up sea spray due to the fact that he had started running, and completed one entire circle around the island, seeing many more rocky outcroppings and sandy beaches along the way.

By the time Naruto returned to the docks, Night had fallen. Looking above, Naruto was amazed by the clear, star spangled night sky, the likes of which he had never seen in Konoha. There were many more stars in this sky than the one from his home, and he could finally see the appeal which star gazing held for some people, an activity, which until now, had made him bored out of his mind.

Naruto was exhausted, having traversed the entire distance on foot but wanting to explore one last place, he continued to walk, this time towards the building he had seen from the docks.

It took Naruto a lot of time to get there, due to the vastness of the village and his own exhaustion ridden slow pace.

While walking through the city, Naruto sensed something strange. Due to using Sage mode frequently, he had become somewhat attuned to chakra in general and thus, was able to pick up on strong chakra signatures. It was not as accurate as sage mode, with Naruto only being able to detect vague flashes of the energy. He had started calling it his 'sixth sense' jokingly. And that sixth sense of his was tingling now. On focusing, Naruto was able to ascertain that the signature was originating from the ground itself. Kneeling, Naruto touched his palm to the ground and closed his eyes. There was something flowing beneath. Naruto's eyes jerked open, shocked.

 _"There is chakra running through the ground! It's very faint but it is definitely chakra. And strangely, it is similar to nature chakra but not entirely. "_

Kurama,who had been silently watching till now, asked, curiously **" How so?"**

 _"It's well...how do I put it? You could say, It is less wild than nature chakra. More...organised and specific."_

Dusting his pants, Naruto got up.

 _"I bet we will find something about this in that building."_

He continued walking. After a little while, he finally arrived at his destination.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Naruto searched for an entrance to the interior but couldn't find one. He looked up and saw a huge hole on the wall of the upper levels of the building. Deciding it to be the perfect entrance, Naruto laced his feet with chakra and putting one foot on the wall, started walking on it. On reaching what appeared to be the top floor, Naruto slipped inside the hole, with his eyes tracing the outline of hole almost looked like as if someone had blasted through the wall, tearing through the stone and mortar with impunity and leaving this as a reminder.

The interior was dark, With the only source of light being the moon. Naruto was able to make out a few details and the general layout of the room. It was circular and large, with the walls being occupied by broken down cabinets. In the centre, there was a large wooden desk. The desk was worn, it's wood rotting. Naruto was about to walk past it, not seeing the desk to be of much importance, but something on the desk caught his eye. On moving closer to the desk, Naruto could see faint ridges on its top, too deliberate and precise to be natural. Brushing his hand across it, Naruto removed the dust accumulating on its surface. On seeing what lay underneath, Naruto's eyes widened with astonishment.

A huge swirl was engraved into the table, occupying the centre.

It was clear what the swirl indicated. Taking a look at the table and the room once again, Naruto realized something.

 _"This must be the village head's office!"_ thought Naruto.

His interest renewed, Naruto started searching the office for any clues to confirm his assumption.

After almost half an hour of searching, only one spot was left. The wall behind the desk. Running his hand across it, Naruto looked for any indentations or switches of some kind. In his haste, Naruto's hand brushed across something sharp, which resulted in his palm getting cut. He reflexively jerked his hand back, which caused a few drops of blood to splatter on the wall.

Naruto watched in awe as the blood was absorbed, which revealed a glowing seal. The seal was impossibly complex, appearing to be a spiral with branches of words and script coming out laterally, much like Naruto's Shiki Fuujin. A grinding noise filled the room as the wall started shifting to the side, revealing a hidden chamber.

Entering it, Pitch black darkness greeted him. Not letting it stop him, Naruto started gathering chakra in his palm, and within a second, a Rasengan was spinning merrily in his palm, illuminating the surroundings with a bright blue glow, allowing Naruto to see that he was in a passageway of sorts, with stairs leading downwards.

Naruto started walking. The stairs seemed endless and when they came to an end, Naruto estimated that he was below the building, deep underground. Looking ahead, Naruto let out a gasp, awed.

Rows and rows of shelves greeted him, each containing numerous scrolls. It was the biggest library Naruto had ever seen, even bigger than Konoha's great library. The rows were arranged in a neat, orderly way and the scrolls showed signs of being ancient, but handled with great care.

Before him lay his legacy. Before him lay the remnants of the Uzumaki.

Going near a shelf, Naruto picked up a scroll. There was a small seal on it. Figuring it out to be similar to the seal on the wall, Naruto smeared some blood on it. The seal glowed and the scroll unlocked. Unfurling the scroll, he was greeted with lines and lines of neat flowing script, filled with seals of varying complexity. Naruto, who couldn't make even an explosive tag to save his life, found it quickly going over his head. However, he noticed one feature which all the seals shared. They all had spirals at their centres.

Naruto placed the scroll back at its original position, convinced he didn't possess the ability to read it.

 _"Why did the Uzumaki love spirals so much?"_ Naruto wondered.

Shaking his head to clear it of the random thought, Naruto moved ahead.

He soon reached the centre of the library. A big circular area, empty of any shelves occupied the centre of the library. All the shelves seems to branch out from this area, causing it to stand out. In the center of the area, there was a small podium made of stone. On it lay a small book, bound with leather which seemed worn and faded. Curious, Naruto picked it up. However, when he tried to open it, Naruto was met with resistance. No matter how much strength he used, the book refused to open. Frustrated, he placed it back on the podium roughly. However, in doing so, the sharp edges of the book dug into his palm, which was already bleeding, causing the wound to open more. Cursing, Naruto clutched his hand.

"What is it with me and random objects cutting up my hand today?" Naruto said to himself, annoyed.

A drop of blood oozed out of his palm. Time seemed to slow down as Naruto watched it falling. It struck the floor beneath the podium with a loud splat that seemed to echo through the library.

For a moment, everything froze. It felt as if time itself had disconnected.

Then the entire floor lit up. A huge spiral formed beneath his feet, archaic, spidery runes glowing, letting out an immense feeling of chakra and presence. The chakra was heavy and ancient, almost causing Naruto's knees to buckle due to its immensity and weight. The spiral spread throughout the library, encompassing it in its entirety.

Inside the seal, Kurama started howling with pain, the sound jarring and animalistic.

Naruto, who had never heard the nine-tails making a sound like that, shouted, "Kurama, what the hell is going on!"

 **"I do not know, brat! Ugh, It feels like I am being teared in half!"** spat Kurama through gritted teeth, trying to remain coherent despite the pain.

Naruto yelled out loud, finally dropping to his knees under the heavy weight.

Turning his face upwards, the last thing Naruto saw before blacking out was a huge column of light and energy tearing through the roof and shooting up into the star filled sky, illuminating it. His body finally giving out, Naruto fainted.

The beam of light blazed through the heavens, staggering in its intensity, before finally disappearing. The chakra from it was felt all over the world, by both sensors and non-sensors alike, alarming a lot of people.

Moonlight filtered in through the hole left by the light, illuminating the spot where Uzumaki Naruto stood a few minutes ago. The dust cloud which had obscured the spot cleared, to strangely reveal no sign of Naruto or his unconscious body.

Somewhere, far away, a pair of black eyes snapped open.

Uchiha Sasuke roused himself from his slumber, his Mangekyo Sharingan blazing to life.

"What was that? That chakra, It felt like…."

 ** _Author's Note: And….done. Sorry for the cliffhanger, guys. I am really sorry that I have not been updating as frequently as I should but what can I say, life happened._**

 ** _This chapter was quite difficult for me to write. In many ways, it is a pivotal point in the story. I hope that you like my version of Uzushiogakure. And one more small thing. Many of you might have gotten a story updated message. Well, it may have happened due to the fact that I might have slightly edited the ending of the 10th chapter. Not much, but still enough, so I recommend you re-read it._**

 ** _Anyways, what did you think of this chapter? Was it better? OR did it suck? Please review, it helps me stay inspired._**

 ** _This is SunlitSKy21, signing out._**


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